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Indian Games and Dances 
with Native Songs 

ARRANGED FROM AMERICAN INDIAN 
CEREMONIALS AND SPORTS 



BY 

ALICE C. FLETCHER 

u 

Holder of the Thaw Fellowship, Peabody 
Museum, Harvard University 

Author of The Hako, The Omaha Tribe, Indian Story and Song, etc. 




BOSTON 
C. C. BIRCHARD & COMPANY 

1915 






Copyright, 1915, 

BY 

C. C. BIRCHARD & COMPANY '. 



Stanbope iprcss 

H.GILSON COMPANY 
BOSTON, U.S.A. 



m -3 



> CI A :3 H 7 S 7 



Y 



DEDICATED TO 



THE YOUTH OF AMERICA 



PREFACE 

This little book took its rise in the following experience 
that came to me many years ago when living with the 
Indians in their homes and pursuing my ethnological 
studies : 

One day I suddenly realized with a rude shock that, 
unlike my Indian friends, I was an alien, a stranger in 
my native land; its fauna and flora had no fond, familiar 
place amid my mental imagery, nor did any thoughts of 
human aspiration or love give to its hills and valleys the 
charm of personal companionship. I was alone, even 
in my loneliness. 

Time went on. The outward aspect of nature re- 
mained the same, but imperceptibly a change had been 
wrought in me until I no longer felt alone in a strange, 
silent country. I had learned to hear the echoes of a 
time when every living thing upon this land and even 
the varied overshadowing skies had its voice, a voice 
that was attentively heard and devoutly heeded by the 
ancient people of America. Henceforth, to me the 
plants, the trees, the clouds and all things had become 
vocal with human hopes, fears and supplications. 

When I realized how much closer because of this 
change I had been drawn to our land, how much greater 
had become my enjoyment of nature, the desire arose to 
find some way by which I could help to make audible to 



vi PREFACE 

others the voice I had heard, and thereby restore to our 
hills and valleys their lost human element. Impelled 
by this purpose I have arranged these dances and games 
with native songs in order that our young people may 
recognize, enjoy and share in the spirit of the olden life 
upon this continent. 

My obligations are due to Mr. Francis La Flesche of 
the U. S. Bureau of American Ethnology and to Mr. 
Edwin S. Tracy, Musical Director of the Morris High 
School of New York City, for assistance in the prepara- 
tion of this book. 

ALICE C. FLETCHER 



CONTENTS 



PAGB 

Preface v 



PART I 

DANCES AND SONGS 

Introduction i 

Song and Dance Among the Indians 4 

Calling the Flowers 8 

Appeal for Clear Sky 16 

The Life of the Corn (a Drama in Five Dances) .... 21 

Introduction 21 

Dance I. The Corn Speaks 23 

Dance II. Planting the Corn 26 

Dance III. The Corn Springs Up 34 

Dance IV. The Fields are Ready 41 

Dance V. Honor to Mother Corn 46 

The He-de Wa-chi (An Omaha Festival of Joy) 51 

PART II 
GAMES 

Introduction 63 

HAZARD GAMES 

Introductory Note 67 

Pa-tol Stick 68 

Plum Stone 71 

vii 



CONTENTS 



GUESSING GAMES 

FAGS 

Introductory Note 73 

Pu-in 74 

Ata-a-kut 76 

Hand Game 80 

Hiding the Disks 84 

I-ou'-tin 88 

BALL GAMES 

Introduction 98 

Bali, and Racket 98 

Ta-be 102 

Double-ball 105 

Hoop and Javelin 108 

Follow Mv Leader 114 



PART III 

INDIAN NAMES 

Introduction 117 

Presenting the Child to the Cosmos 119 

Giving the Child a Name . 121 

Bestowing a New Name 124 

Taking an Indian Name in Camp 129 

Indian Names for Bovs 133 

Indian Names for Girls 135 

Indian Names for Camps 137 



PART I 
DANCES 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 
WITH NATIVE SONGS 



INTRODUCTION 

The adaptations from Indian ceremonies and sports 
here offered will enable those who take part in them to 
follow in happy mood some of the paths of expression 
that were opened long ago by thoughtful men and women 
as they lived, worked and played on this land in undis- 
turbed intimacy with nature. Some of the thoughts 
bred of this intimacy find their expression in these dances 
and games, and it may help toward a better understand- 
ing of them and their spirit to tell briefly how the Indian 
looked upon and regarded his relation to nature. 

The natives of America thought of the cosmos as a 
unit that was throbbing with the same life- force of which 
they were conscious within themselves; a force that 
gave to the rocks and hills their stable, unchanging 
character; to every living thing on land or water the 
power of growth and of movement; to man the ability 
to think, to will and to bring to pass. This universal 
and permeating life-force was always thought of as 
sacred, powerful, like a god. To it a name was given 
that varied in the different languages; in the Omaha 
tongue it was called Wakon'da. Through Wakon'da 
all things in nature were related and more or less in- 
terdependent, the sky, the earth, the animals and men. 



INTRODUCTION 



Nature was, in a sense, the manifestation of Wakon'da, 
consequently it was regarded as something more than 
the means by which physical life was sustained and be- 
came the religious and ethical instructor of man. 

All food came from the earth ; the wild fruits, the roots, 
the cultivated maize, these and the animals all derived 
their living power from Wakon'da and yielded their life 
to man that he might live and be strong. Therefore, 
the hunt was conducted with ceremonies in which the 
bounty of Wakon'da was formally recognized, and when 
food was eaten thanks were offered to this unseen power. 
The Indian lived in the open and watched with reverent 
attention the changing aspects of his environment. To 
him nothing was without significance, for all things were 
imbued with powers from Wakon'da and could convey 
lessons or admonitions to be heeded by the individual 
and by the people in their social life. 

For example: the Indian noted the unfailing recur- 
rence of day and night and that upon the regularity with 
which one followed the other all creatures relied, while 
man depended upon this constancy to carry out any 
given purpose. From thoughts upon this natural phe- 
nomenon and its effects on the actions of men, ideas arose 
that led the Indian to the conception of truth, that some- 
thing, as between man and man, that can be depended 
on both in word and in deed. "Thus," the old men 
said, "Wakon'da taught us the necessity of truthfulness, 
if we would live peacefully together." Other natural 
aspects, as the storm, with its terrifying thunder and 
destructive lightning, and the passing of the clouds 
revealing the blue sky, when the birds renewed their song, 



INTRODUCTION 



seemed to picture to the Indian the devastation of war 
and the happiness of peace. Again, the tree, compacted 
of many parts, suggested how the tribe could be made to 
stand and become strong. 

So it came to pass that as the ancient people looked 
about and thought on what they saw, they gradually 
formulated ceremonies and adopted symbols in order to 
express what they came to believe. All their rites, their 
vocations, their pleasures were born, practiced and 
enjoyed under the arching skies, and were permeated, as 
by a vital spirit, with an unquestioning consciousness of 
oneness with nature. 

We shall not be false to any great truths that have been 
revealed to us concerning the world in which we live, if 
we listen to the olden voice, an unseen heritage of our 
bounteous land, as it sings of man's unity with nature. 
May they who join in these dances and games catch 
their vital spirit and learn to feel at home with the winds, 
the clouds, the fields and the woods. 



SONG AND DANCE AMONG THE INDIANS 

The Song 

While studying Indian life and thought through the 
sharing, as far as possible, of native conditions, I dis- 
covered Indian music. In the loneliness that naturally 
belonged to my circumstances this discovery was like 
finding a flower hidden in a tangle hard to penetrate. 
I had heard Indians "singing," but the noise of the drum, 
the singers' stress of voice, so overlaid the little song 
that its very existence was not even suspected. Cir- 
cumstances at length arose, incident to my convalescence 
after a long illness, when, to give me pleasure, my Indian 
friends came and sang softly to me, without the drum. 
Great was my surprise to hear music; to be told that I 
was listening to the same songs that the earnest men and 
women had previously sung but which for me had been 
buried under a tumultuous din. Thenceforth my ears 
were opened and never again, no matter how confusing 
the conditions, did I fail to catch the hidden melody. 
As my appreciation of the value of Indian music grew, I 
determined to gather and to preserve these wild flowers 
of song. I wanted them not merely as a contribution 
to the study of music but that they might help to vi- 
brate the chords that belong to a common humanity. 

Of the songs I heard in solitude, some were published 
over thirty years ago. Since then many of my gleaning 
have been used by different composers and the musical 
message sent far and wide. 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



With the Indian, words hold a secondary or an un- 
important place in a song. The music and accompany- 
ing action, ceremonial or otherwise, convey the meaning 
or purpose. When words are used they are few, frag- 
mentary and generally eked out with vocables. Fre- 
quently only vocables are attached to a melody. To 
the Indian, song holds a place similar to that filled for us 
by wordless instrumental music. In ceremonies, rituals 
occur that are always rhythmically intoned; each line 
generally terminates in a refrain. Songs have a place 
in these rituals, breaking in on the recital particularly 
when an emotion is evoked, for music is the medium of 
emotional expression. An old Indian priest explained 
this peculiarity by saying: " Harmonious sounds unite 
the people." 

Unaccustomed as we are to the use of songs that have 
no words, we would not only find it difficult to under- 
stand their meaning but we would lose much pleasure 
when singing them. To obviate the perplexities arising 
from the Indian's peculiar treatment of words and to 
make clear the meaning of a song, words have been sup- 
plied. These words are in no instance a literal trans- 
lation, for the few broken words that belong to some of 
the melodies used in these Dances and Games, because 
of their fragmentary character, would have no value as 
an interpretation either of the music or of the action. 
In a number of instances the original vocables are re- 
tained, where the music is merely a rhythmical accom- 
paniment to a simple, easily understood movement. 
Where words are given to a song, they follow closely both 
the accents and the rhythm of the music. The written 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



stanzas are not meant to be read but to be sung. They 
express the thought or the feeling that gave rise to the 
music, they aim to make its meaning understood so that 
the song can be intelligently sung. In arranging these 
words, care has been taken never to forget or to change 
the natural and the psychical environment that belongs 
to the melody. 

Indian songs are very short. They have no prelimi- 
nary measures, but at once voice the actuating emotion ; 
that done, they come to a close. Although they are so 
short, they have form and in their structure follow in 
simple lines the rules of phrasing and motivization 
taught in our schools. These songs, speaking in general 
terms, partake more of the character of motifs than of 
musical compositions. They do not stand alone or 
apart from the ceremonials or pleasures of which they 
form an essential feature. 



The Dance 

The different Indian tribes vary in their modes of 
dancing; moreover, the same theme is not interpreted 
by all the tribes in the same manner. In some sections 
of our country the dancers wear costumes and masks 
that are symbolic, both in color and form; in other 
regions, feathers are the principal and emblematic deco- 
ration; elsewhere, the men may dance very nearly nude. 
However diverse the dancing regalia may be or how 
marked its absence, the Indian dance always presents 
two characteristics, namely: Dramatic Action and 
Rhythmic Precision. 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



Every Indian dance has a meaning. The dance is 
generally either the acting out of some mythic story or 
a presentation of a personal experience. Every move- 
ment of the body, arms, hands, feet and head is always 
in strict time with the songs that invariably accompany 
the dance. Indian dances are complex rather than 
simple. Their "spontaneous activity" is not the result 
of "a dominating emotion" but of a desire to present 
dramatically certain mental pictures. This is particu- 
larly true of dances which form a part of religious cere- 
monials. As a consequence, none of these dances are 
improvised. All follow forms that have been handed 
down through generations and have become more or less 
conventionalized . 

When the dance portrays a personal experience the 
dancer is allowed a freedom of invention not elsewhere 
permitted. Even in this case the dancer is obliged to 
follow certain conventional forms, as in the sign language ; 
otherwise his story would not be understood. 

On the eastern continent the peoples from whom we 
are descended had songs and dances peculiar to their 
different vocations, so on this western continent the 
song and dance were the accompaniment of the Native 
industries. 

A study of the Indian dramatic dances shows that by 
means of them the vocations of men and women were 
lifted out of drudgery, made types of activity and allied 
to the forces recognized in the religious beliefs of the 
people. The dances here given, those relative to the 
Corn and also the Hede-wache, not only illustrate what 
has been said above but they reflect back a light upon 



8 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

the religious dances that obtained among the eastern 
nations of antiquity. 

When the Indian dances, he dances with freedom; his 
whole body becomes expressive of the actuating emotion 
of the scene he intends to portray. Because of his free- 
dom, his remarkable sense of rhythm and the strong 
mental picture he aims to present, whether it be the 
flight of the eagle, the sportive pleasure of birds, the 
movements of animals, the alertness of the warrior in 
attack, or in eluding a blow, his motions are always 
sharply vivid and natural. 

It is a pleasure to be able to offer in the following pages 
a number of Indian songs with their original accompani- 
ment of action as the two complement each other for the 
expression of certain native thoughts and aspirations. 

Whoever takes part in the dances here presented 
should never attempt to imitate what is supposed to be 
the Indian's manner of singing or his dancing steps and 
postures ; in either case the result would probably be an 
unmeaning burlesque. Each dancer should have a clear 
mental picture of the scene to be enacted and then give 
free play to bodily movements for its expression, always 
keeping in rhythm with the song, so as to make sound 
and motion a rhythmic unit. 

CALLING THE FLOWERS 

Introductory Note. — This dance is derived from 
a ceremony, observed among the Indians of the North 
Pacific Coast, in which the spirits dwelling beneath the 
ground are called to come and join those who are danc- 
ing. The dancer who calls the spirits moves with gliding 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



steps, the arms outstretched, the hands beckoning up- 
ward in a gentle enticing manner. The grace, dignity 
and earnestness of this dance linger with the writer as a 
beautiful memory after the lapse of many years. 

Properties. — A green scarf for the Caller. Blue, 
white and rosy scarfs for as many dancers as will per- 
sonate the three Flowers that respond to the call: Vio- 
lets, Wild-roses and Daisies. A twisted rope of green 
to link the dancing Flowers together in the final dance. 

Directions. — A clear space will be required large 
enough for all the dancers to move about in the final 
dance. Those who] personate the Flowers should be 
hidden from view until the time when they are to re- 
spond to the call. In the properties enumerated above, 
mention is made only of scarfs. The picturesqueness of 
the dance would be enhanced if the dancers wore head- 
dresses shaped somewhat like the flowers and made of 
appropriate colored paper: blue or lilac for the Violets, 
with a touch of yellow; deep pink or pale red for the 
Wild-roses, with a little yellow for the stamens; white 
with yellow for the Daisies. The twisted rope of green 
paper should be made over heavy twine, so as to be 
strong enough for the dancers to grasp in the final dance. 
All these decorative articles should be made in the camp. 

The dancer who acts as the Caller should wear the 
green scarf loosely thrown about the head and body. 
If the voice of this dancer is not strong enough to be 
clearly heard by those who look on at a little distance, 
then two other persons should stand one at each side of 
the open space and sing with the dancer who is the Caller. 
These two extra singers should be wrapped in green 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



scarfs and stand quietly as interested spectators while 
the dancer calls. Care should be taken to give the 
words of the songs with clearness and distinctness, so 
that every person within hearing distance can catch 

them easily. 

The Dance 

The scene opens with the one who is to call the Flowers 
standing in the center looking about in different direc- 
tions. Suddenly, as if the thought occurred to call for 
companions, the following song is begun : 

Song No. i 

CALL TO THE FLOWERS 
Hither come, come to me, flowers! 

Wake from your sleep. 
Oh, hither come, hither come, flowers! 
Hear me calling, 
Wake from your sleep, O flowers ! 
Hark ! some one comes. 



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call - ing, Wake from your sleep, O flowers ! Hark ! some one comes 1 

With the song, movement begins. The steps taken 
should be gentle and gliding, the arms outstretched as in 
entreaty, the hands moved as in beckoning, not with 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



one finger but all the fingers slowly bending toward the 
open palm. The dancer should think what the action 
means as she glides about the open space, and strive to 
carry out the picture of awakening the sleeping flowers, 
of bidding them to "come hither." It is possible that 
more time may be required by some dancers to produce 
the picture than merely singing the song once through 
would give; in that case, that portion of the song having 
the words "Hear me calling, Wake from your sleep, O 
flowers!" can be repeated once or twice, to meet the 
requirements of the dancer. The last line, "Hark! 
some one comes! " should be given with dramatic action. 
These words are the cue for those who are to repre- 
sent the Violets to prepare to enter from different points 
on the right, and to make a soft, stirring sound before 
they come into view, singing the following song: 



Song No. 2 

SONG OF THE VIOLET 
Violets have come in heav'nly hue; 
With fragrance sweet they bring to you 
Love from the dell where they grew 
Close to the earth so true. 



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With fra - grance sweet they bring to you Love from the 



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12 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



The Violets dance with quiet steps in rhythm with the 
song. They slowly advance and gather in a loose circle 
about the Caller, whom, as they come near, each one 
lightly touches, to give "Love from the dell where they 
grew." Then they retire to the edge of the open space 
at the right and sit on the ground in little groups. When 
they are quiet and in their places, the Caller moves to- 
ward them, then turns, stops, looks at the empty side 
at the left and sings, without any repeat: 



Song No. i 

CALL TO THE FLOWERS 



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The end of the closing line gives the cue to those who 
represent the Wild-roses to make a rustling sound where 
they are hidden on the left. They enter with light 
springing steps, singing: 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



13 



Song No. 3 

SONG OF THE WILD-ROSES 
Wild-roses come all bright and gay, 
Blushing red like dawn of day; 
Dancing come they, full of play, 
Hiding all their thorns away. 
Wild-roses come all bright and gay, 
Blushing red like dawn of day, 
Dancing come they, full of play. 




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ing come they, i full of play. 

The Wild-roses dance about gaily; they circle the 
quiet little clumps of Violets that remain seated. The 
Wild-roses frolic around the Caller, capering about in 
wild freedom but keeping their steps in exact time with 



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INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



their song. Finally they pause in groups at the left. 
After a moment, the Caller moves toward the rear of the 
open space and while there once again sings the Call : 



Song No. i 

CALL TO THE FLOWERS 



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call- ing, Wake from your sleep, O flowers ! Hark ! some one comes ! 



At the close of the song the dancers who are to repre- 
sent the Daisies give a trilling shout and appear from 
the rear of the open space, skipping; their leader holds 
the end of a long green rope, which is caught hold of by 
each dancer who follows, all singing : 

Song No. 4 

SONG OF THE DAISIES 
Up from meadows free, 
Coming full of glee, 
Troop the Daisies white, 
Dancing in the light, 
All skipping blithe and gay. 
Now we make a chain, 
Singing as we twine 
Then back into line — 
Merry at play! 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



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As the Daisies skip in the open space, the dancers are 
widely separated as they hold on to the rope; at the 
words "Now we make a chain" the Violets, who had 
risen as the Daisies entered, move toward the string of 
dancers; the Wild-roses also come toward the chain and 
grasp the green rope. The colors of the flowers should 
alternate and all the Flowers should have hold of the 
rope and cling to it as to a great green stem. Then all 
circle around the Caller, who is the last to grasp the stem. 
As all the Flowers dance they repeat Song No. 4, be- 
ginning at the words "Troop the Daisies white," etc. 

This chain of flowers should make, as they dance, 
interweaving figures. These can be left to the fancy of 
the dancers, but just what they are to be must be de- 



16 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

cided upon beforehand and rehearsed; otherwise the 
dance will not be successful and pleasing. 

The dances for each kind of flower will require prac- 
tice, for the character of each flower should be well 
brought out; the gentleness of the Violets can make a 
charming contrast to the waywardness of the Wild-roses 
and the pliant Daisies who are at home everywhere. 

APPEAL FOR CLEAR SKY 

Introductory Note. — Among those Indian tribes 
that lived outside the semi-arid sections of our country, 
the storm with its destructive force was the representa- 
tive of war, and thunder was a war god. 

Warfare was widespread among the tribes dwelling 
in the Mississippi valley; yet among these people the 
desirability and value of peace were recognized. Honors 
won in a defensive fight gave the warrior higher rank 
than those gained in wars of aggression. Rituals be- 
longing to religious ceremonies, and also to war rites, 
taught that the first duty of the warrior was to protect 
the women and children, the fields and the food supply, 
for his strong arm and ready courage made the tribe's 
only wall of defence against enemies. 

These tribes had ceremonies relating to the mainte- 
nance of peace not only within the tribe but for the pur- 
pose of forming peaceful relations with other tribes. 
The clear sky was the symbol of peace, of happiness and 
of prosperity, conditions the very opposite of those that 
attended war. 

When a peace ceremony was in progress, if a storm 
arose it was looked upon as an omen of disaster. At 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 17 

such a time, when clouds gathered, the people joined in 
ceremonial songs and appeals for clear sky, the symbol 
of peace. 

The following dramatic dance and the accompanying 
songs are employed on such an occasion. The songs are 
taken from ceremonies used to promote peace. 

Properties. — Staffs, about three feet long, with small 
blue flags, as many as there are dancers, the same num- 
ber of blue head bands and blue sashes. The latter are 
to be worn from the right shoulder across the breast and 
tied at the waist under the left arm. A drum. 

Directions. — This dance belongs to both sexes and 
boys and girls should, if possible, join in it. 

The Dance 
All the dancers stand facing the East, in one or more 
rows deep, according to the number, their staffs held in 
the right hand so that the flags will hang in front of each 
dancer, covering the chest as they begin the following 
song: 

Song No. 1 

Away, away, dark clouds, away! 

Leave the sky! 
Go far away, dark clouds, to-day! 

Leave the sky! 
Stormy clouds, go far away, far away, 
Stormy clouds, no longer stay! 

Leave the sky! 
Go far away, dark clouds, to-day ! 

Leave the sky! 
Stormy clouds, go far away, far away! 
Stormy clouds, begone! 



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INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



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In the first line at each "away" the dancers should 
look up toward the East and move a step forward in 
that direction. At the line "Leave the sky!" they 
should point their flags toward the East, keeping the 
staff out on a level with the body, and accent it by 
thrusting it forward as if pointing to the East, being 
careful not to change the level of the staff. At the 
second "Leave the sky!" the level of the staffs must be 
raised to about the chin of the dancer and the same 
pointing motion repeated at this level. At the third 
"Leave the sky!" the staffs are raised to the level of the 
dancers' eyes and the same pointing movement repeated. 
At the fourth "Leave the sky!" the level of the staffs 
is raised to a line with the top of the head and the point- 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 19 

ing motions again given. At the last line, "Stormy 
clouds, begone!" the staffs and flags should be raised 
aloft and waved with precision to the rhythm of the 
song. The steps and movements of the body should be 
that of backward and forward, to give a pulsating effect, 
all in exact time with the music. The drum should be 
beaten in f time, the first and third stroke heavier than 
the second and fourth. This series of movements con- 
stitutes the appeal to the East. The dancers next turn 
to the North, repeat the song and all the movements of 
staff and body in exactly the same manner. Next 
the dancers turn toward the West and go through the 
song and movements without any variation. Then they 
turn toward the South and repeat song and movements 
as before. At the close, all the dancers gather in a loose 
group in the center of the open space, where they divide 
into two lines that must cross each other at right angles. 
When this cross- figure is formed, all, as they stand, 
should face the East. The staffs should be held at an 
angle similar to that of a baton and then swayed to the 
rhythm of the following song : 

Song No. 2 
Come, soft skies of blue, 
O'er the earth of verdant hue 

Bend in peace! 
Clouds by thy sunny breath all are gone, 

Blue Sky! 
Joy now fills our hearts anew, 

Sorrows cease; 
Songs of birds sing of thy peace, 
Blue Sky! 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



^i^iigE^^a^^i ^^ 



Come.soft skies of blue, O'er the earth of ver-dant hue 



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Clouds by thy sun - ny breath all 



Bend in peace 



^^-^ ^E^^^S^t^^ 



are gone, 



Blue Sky ! Joy now fills our hearts a-new, 




Sor - rows cease ; Songs of birds sing of thy peace, Blue Sky ! 



As the dancers sing they should take a step sidewise 
to the right, then return to the first position; then a step 
to the left and return, so that the whole cross-figure has 
a swaying motion accentuating the rhythm of the song, 
which should be sung smoothly and flowingly. When 
the words "Blue Sky!" are sung the flags should be 
raised aloft and waved in rhythm and then returned to 
the previous level. The song should be repeated several 
times and the figure maintained as the singers face the 
North, West, South and back to the East. Then the 
dancers should break into groups and, still singing the 
song and dancing rhythmically, disperse to their tents. 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



THE LIFE OF THE CORN 
A Drama in Five Dances 

Introduction. — These Dances in their purport and 
music are taken from the sacred rituals of the Omaha, 
the Osage and the Pawnee tribes. The richness and 
beauty of symbolism in the original language suffer a 
loss of native naivete in their English interpretation. 

The American food plant known by the general term 
"Corn" was developed ages ago from certain native 
grasses. The Euchlaena luxurians found in Guatemala is 
probably an ancestor of the maize. The word "maize" 
belongs to the language of a people living by the Carib- 
bean Sea and never was a universal term for corn among 
the Indians of our country. The tribes to which maize 
was known gave it a name derived from their own lan- 
guages. So very many centuries have passed since corn 
was a grass that there is no way now of finding out when 
in the remote past the natives of this continent began 
the task of developing from a grass a staple article of 
food like the corn. The process required years of care- 
ful observation, manipulation and culture. Not only 
did the Indians accomplish this task but they took the 
plant from its tropical surroundings and acclimated it 
throughout the region east of the Rocky Mountains up 
to the country of short summers in the North ; Carrier, 
in 1534, found it growing where the city of Montreal now 
stands. 

From this hasty glance at the long history of the maize 
we can discern the natural sequence of its close relation 
to the thought and to the life of the Indian, and to a de- 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



gree understand the love and the reverence with which 
the corn was held and regarded as a gift from God. 
Every stage of its growth was ceremonially observed and 
mentioned in rituals and songs. 

Among the Omaha tribe when the time came for plant- 
ing, four kernels from a red ear of corn were given to each 
family by the keeper of this sacred rite. These four red 
kernels were mixed with the ordinary seed corn, that it 
might be vivified by them and made to yield an ample 
harvest. Red is the symbolic color of life. In this 
ceremony is preserved a trace of the far-away time when 
all the precious seed corn was in the care of priestly 
keepers. The ceremony of giving out the four red ker- 
nels served to turn the thoughts of the people from a de- 
pendence solely on their own labor in cultivating corn to 
the life-giving power of Wakon'da dwelling within the 
maize. 

In the Omaha ritual song of twenty-six stanzas which 
preceded the distribution of the four red kernels, the 
Corn speaks. It tells of its roots reaching in the four 
directions (where dwell the messengers that bring life), 
of the growth of its jointed stalk, of the unfolding of its 
leaves, of the changing color of the silk and of the tassel, 
of the ripening of the fruit, of the bidding of the people 
to come, to pluck and to eat. 

The music of this ritual song is simple. It is here 
given with a very brief paraphrase of the words of the 
ritual song. 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 23 

Dance I 

Introductory Note. — This ceremonial dance touches 
upon the mystery of the giving of life that life may be 
maintained ; an exchange that links together the different 
forms of life and enhances the joy of living. 

Properties. — Thin green mantles ; yellow plumes like 
the corn tassel ; bone clips ; as many of these articles as 
there are dancers. 

Directions. — This dance belongs to both sexes and a 
number of each should take part, if that is possible. 
Should there be trees near the open space where the 
dance takes place, one-half of the dancers, closely 
wrapped in their green mantles, should be grouped at 
one side among the trees and the other half similarly 
placed at the other side. In the center of the space a 
single dancer stands facing the rear, wrapped about the 
head and body with the greenrnantle, leaving only the 
face exposed. 

All being in readiness, the central figure turns slowly, 
lifts a draped arm and says slowly and impressively : 

"Harken! The Corn speaks!" 

The group of dancers on the right then sing softly the 
first line only of the following ritual song in which the 
Corn speaks: 

Song No. 1 

Fourfold deep lie my roots within the land ; 
Clad in green, bearing fruit, Lo! here I stand! 
Pluck and eat, life for life, behold, I give! 
Shout with joy, dance and sing with all that live. 



24 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 






with - in the land; 
be - hold, I give ! 



Four -fold deep lie my roots 
Pluck and eat, life for life, 



Clad in green, bear - ing fruit, Lo ! here 
Shout with joy, dance and sing with all 



I stand ! 

that live. 



The group of dancers on the left repeat the same line 
like an echo of the first group. Both groups of dancers 
now begin to move slowly and in rhythm with the song 
toward the figure standing in the center of the space, 
singing, as they move, the ritual song from the beginning. 
At the words " Lo ! here I stand ! " the company of dancers 
should all be standing in a semi-circle. As the words in 
the third line, "Behold, I give!" are sung, the draped 
arms should be slightly extended forward as in a presen- 
tation. The fourth line requires some dramatic action, 
but it should be restrained rather than free. The arms, 
still draped with the green mantles, should be raised a 
little as the words "Shout with joy" are sung, and during 
the singing of the remainder of the line swayed from 
side to side in rhythm with the song, always with a re- 
serve in the movements, because of the mystery men- 
tioned in the words of the song, that life is maintained 
by the giving of life. A pause of about two beats should 
follow this ritual song. 

As"Ho-o! Ho-o!" the opening of the next song, is given, 
every dancer should suddenly turn half-way round, give 
a movement of the head such as would cause the mantle 
to fall back and leave the head with the corn tassel 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



25 



exposed; the ends of the mantle should be gathered in 
the hands so that the mantle can wave with the dance 
as the following song is sung: 

Song No. 2 
Ho-o ! Ho-o ! 
Dance we singing, 
Promise bringing 
Of the wealth of summer fair; 
Hearts beat lightly, 
Skies shine brightly, 
Youth and Hope are ev'rywhere. 
Refrain: Ho-o! Ho-o! Ho! Ho! Ho! 

D.C. 



* 



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Ho-o! Ho 



o ! Dance we 




26 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

As each " Ho-o!" of the refrain is sung, the dancers 
should whirl like merry sprites, twine and untwine their 
green mantles about their forms until the song begins 
again. Then they should all skip off with springing, 
rhythmic steps in open Indian file, letting their mantles 
float and wave about them as they wind in and out over 
the camp ground carrying "Youth and Hope every- 
where." Every time the refrain is reached, the dancers 
should stop and whirl, then as the song begins again 
move off in line, dancing as before. When they are ready 
to stop (that can only be done during the singing and 
whirling of the refrain), each dancer should whirl from 
the line and keep up that movement, singing "Ho!" 
until his or her tent is reached. 

Dance II 

Introductory Note. — The rituals and ceremonies 
from which this dramatic dance with its accompanying 
songs are taken have been handed down through num- 
berless generations. They deal with the perpetuation 
of the vocations of the people and also with the duties 
of the warrior, who must so protect the people that these 
vocations can be pursued in peace and safety. The 
portion of the ritual that relates to the planting of the 
maize is here given. It is practical in character. The 
ground is to be cleared of the debris of winter's storms 
and the dead leaves and twigs gathered into heaps and 
consumed by fire. When the brown earth is uncovered 
on the sunny slope it is to be mellowed and made into 
little hills with flattened tops to receive the kernels of 
the corn. The first seven of these hills must be cere- 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 27 

monially planted. Into the first hill one kernel of corn 
is dropped, two kernels are put into the second hill, 
three in the third, and so on to the seventh, in which are 
placed seven kernels. The product of these seven little 
hills must be kept separate, for it is to constitute the 
"first fruit offering" made to Wakon'da, through the 
priest, in recognition of the gift of corn as food. After 
the seven hills are completed, then the rest of the field is 
similarly prepared and planted. When the kernels are 
put in the loosened ground they are covered and stamped 
with the foot, so that each little hill bears the mark, the 
footprint, of the planter. The Ritual Song depicts the 
task of planting to its completion and compares the rows 
of little brown hills to lines of buffalo following one 
another down the slope. With this vision, suggesting 
the promise of abundant food, the workers joyfully turn 
toward the home fireside. 

The words given for the first song are a brief para- 
phrase of the many stanzas of the original Ritual Song, 
which so touches the necessary acts of the planter as to 
lift them above a merely prosaic level. 

Properties. — As this dance represents work, no scarfs 
or mantles are used. The garments should be plain 
and the arms free for the necessary dramatic motions in 
portraying the various acts connected with clearing, 
preparing and planting the ground. In ancient times 
the hoe used for this work was made from the shoulder 
blade of the elk, or a stick three or four feet long shaped 
at one end like a wedge. Similarly shaped sticks of 
wood should be used in this dance, one for each dancer. 
Pouches are required made of brown cloth, with broad 



28 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

bands or straps long enough to pass over the shoulder 
and chest and to let the pouches hang at the back. Both 
pouches and straps should be ornamented with geometric 
designs painted in red, yellow, blue or green; two or 
three of these colors should be combined in each design. 
The corn carried within the pouches can be represented 
by rounded chips, little stones or, when possible, by the 
corn kernels themselves. 

The boys must wear headbands, carry bows and have 
quivers hung at their backs. They must scatter around 
the border of the "field," move watchfully about, peer 
into the distance and act as if on the alert to detect or to 
meet any prowling enemy. 

Directions. — A space should be set apart to represent 
the "field " where the dramatic action takes place. This 
dance requires considerable dramatic pantomime. The 
words in the two lines of each stanza of the song serve 
as a prelude to the action which follows. Sometimes 
the action may be confined to the refrain, but generally 
there must be acting throughout the singing both of the 
words and the refrain. Much in this dance must be left 
to the imagination and skill of the group of dancers, who 
should rehearse together and decide how best to make a 
clear, strong picture. The native music here given be- 
longs to the act of preparing the ground and planting 
the kernels of corn. Attention is called to the second, 
fourth, sixth and eighth measures of the song. The 
three-quarter notes and the eighth and rest should be 
accented by movements of the hoe, the foot or both. 
The rhythm of the first measure is a little different from 
that of the third, fifth and seventh, caused by the third 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



29 



note being a quarter note, denoting a definite act or 
pause; the remaining four notes of the first measure are 
flowing, as well as all the notes of the third, fifth and 
seventh measures. By observing these little points in 
the music the drama will be given variety and made more 
picturesque and effective. 

At the beginning of the song the dancers should be at a 
little distance from the space set apart to represent the 
"field," so that they will be able at the proper. time to go 
toward it. As the first line of the first stanza is sung the 
dancers should stand in a loose group, adjust their hoes 
and pouches to be ready to go to the "field"; during the 
singing of the second line they should break into a file 
and move off. All these movements of body, hands and 
feet must be in strict time and rhythm with the music: 



Song No. 1 

Here we stand ready now to go on our way 
To the field, buried under leaves dead and gray. 
Refrain: Ah hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey they ha ! 

Ah hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey they ha! 



i 



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r-f-S— g- 



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Here we stand rea - dy now to go on our way 



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To the field, bu - ried un - der leaves dead and gray. 



30 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



m 



J Refrain 



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p.' 



Ah hey they 

% — * — h — e- 



Ah hey hey they, Ah hey they ha 
- N N i l I I N 



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Ah hey they, Ah hey hey they,Ah hey they ha! 

By the end of the first line of the refrain the dancers 
will have reached the "field" and have begun to dispose 
themselves over the space. Seven must stand in the 
first row, where they are to make the seven ceremonial 
hills. These seven dancers should lead the motions of 
all the others, so that the movements may present even 
lines, as in the bowing of violins in an orchestra. The 
refrain should be repeated as many times as is necessary 
while the dancers are taking position, clearing the field, 
etc. The number of repeats must be determined upon 
at the rehearsals of the dancers. Sufficient time should 
be taken to bring out the picture and to give it in perfect 
rhythm with the music. When the refrain closes, the 
dead leaves and twigs are supposed to be gathered into 
heaps ready to be burned. 



See the fire send its "word of flame" mounting high, 

Now the smoke rolls about the earth, shuts out sky. 

Refrain: Ah hey they, 

Ah hey hey they, 

Ah hey they ha! 

Ah hey they, 

Ah hey hey they, 

Ah hey they ha ! 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 31 

The action for this stanza should indicate the heat of 
the fire ; shielding the face, pushing back stray leaves or 
twigs to the burning heap ; the rolling smoke follows the 
dancers, who here and there try to escape it. This scene 
will require study to bring out the picture rhythmically. 
It should form a contrast to the preceding and the fol- 
lowing scene, in both of which the movements are more 
or less uniform. In this scene groups should emphasize 
certain conditions: the fire, the smoke, the work of 
keeping the heaps together, so that the picture will be 
one of action diverse to a degree and yet every move- 
ment dominated by the rhythm of the song; the picture 
will thus be made a unit. 

3 
Mellow earth, make the little hills smooth on top, 
On the earth softly the kernels we drop. 
Refrain: Ah hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey they ha ! 
Ah hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey they ha ! 

In the action of this stanza the seven dancers in the 
front row make seven ceremonial hills, mellowing the 
earth with the wooden hoes and gathering it into little 
hills made smooth on top. The pouches are swung to 
the front, the corn taken out with one hand while the 
other holds the hoe at rest, and the kernels are dropped 
on the softened earth. The dancers should be careful 
to remember that in the ceremonial row of seven hills 
but one kernel is to be dropped in the first hill, two in the 



32 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

second, and so on up to seven in the seventh hill. All 
the dancers scattered over the "field" must follow the 
movements of the seven in charge of the seven cere- 
monial hills. 

4 
Cover all gently, leave the print of our feet 
On the earth mellowed fine, so brown, so sweet. 
Refrain: Ah hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey they ha ! 
Ah hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey they ha ! 

In the action for this stanza the hoe and the feet of 
the dancers have a special part. The movements of the 
dancers should represent the covering of the dropped 
seed with the mellowed earth and the making of the 
footprint on the top of the little hill within which the 
seed is now hidden. In the native Ritual Song the term 
"footprint" is used symbolically; it represents a person 
— in this instance the one who had done the work — 
also the work itself that has been accomplished. The 
dancers should be careful to remember the rhythm of the 
second, fourth, sixth and eighth measures, as these can be 
used to emphasize "footprints" and also the completion 
of the task. During a repeat of the refrain the dancers 
should drop their hoes and gather in groups as if to look 
at the field; this action will bring them into the posi- 
tion required for the fifth stanza. 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



33 



How like lines of buffalo upon the slope, 
Lie our little brown hills, so full now of hope. 
Refrain: Ah hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey they ha! 
Ah hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey they ha! 

The motions of the hands and the movements of the 
body should indicate that in looking over the field one is 
struck by the striped appearance made by the rows of 
little hills, recalling the resemblance to the buffalo de- 
scending the slope. The final ' ' ha ! " of the refrain should 
indicate pleasure. A brief silence should follow, during 
which the dancers pick up their hoes, adjust their pouches, 
fall into line and sing the following song: 

Song No. 2 

Light our hearts and gay 
As we homeward take our way, 
While the winds about us play, 
Singing as we go. 
Hy-ya hy-ya hy-ya ho! 
Hy-ya hy-ya hy-ya ho! 
Hy-ya ho! 

Ho! 
Hy-ya ho! 



sH 



s 



Light our hearts and gay As we home-ward take our 



34 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



U 



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way, While the winds a - bout us play, 



Sing-ing as we 



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Hy - ya hy - ya hy - ya 



ho! 



Hy - ya 



fffi f J J* J J | J ^J J | J tt p^ 



hy - ya hy - ya ho ! Hy - ya ho ! Ho I Hy-ya ho ! 

This song should be repeated many times as all the 
dancers, with rhythmic springing steps, wind about the 
camp ground before they finally disperse. 

Dance III 

Introductory Note. — This dance is from the Corn 
Ritual Song and is a dramatization of a visit to the 
planted field after the lapse of a few weeks. Life has 
been stirring in the kernels of corn that had been hidden 
within the little hills, and the kernels now call to those 
who had planted them to come and see what was taking 
place. 

Properties. — The same as those used in the preceding 
dance. Both the boys and the girls should wear the 
same costume as in Dance II. ^ 

Directions. — The scene should be the same as in 
Dance II. The "field" to be visited should be in the 
same place as the space set apart for the "field" where 
the little hills were made and planted. 

A part of the boys should act as guards of the "field" 
as before. A few should scatter among the girls and 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



35 



join in looking at the sprouting corn as it breaks through 
the soil, and these should join in singing the song. 

At the opening of the dance the dancers should be 
discovered standing in groups as though they had acci- 
dentally met as neighbors of the same village. They 
should stand at the same place whence they had started 
to go to the "field" in the preceding dance. The 
groups should be talking in dumb show. Suddenly each 
group should act as if its attention had been arrested by a 
sound, and while in this attitude of arrested attention all 
should begin to sing the following song: 

Song No. I 

A call I hear! 
Hark! soft the tones and weak. 

Again the call ! 
Come! our feet that call must seek. 
Refrain: Hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Again the call ! 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey they. 



4r 



>m3^Fm ^mmmmm 



m 



A call I hear ! Hark ! soft the tones and weak. A -gain the call ! 

Refrain 



m 



& 



V4 r ~ 



m 



Come! our feet that call must seek. 



Hey 



hey 



36 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 




hey hey they, Ah hey hey they, Ah hey they. 



This dramatic dance will require to be rehearsed and 
the details planned by the dancers, so that a clear picture 
may be brought out and also the native poetic thought 
embodied in the Ritual Song from which it is taken. A 
few hints can be given, but much of the action must de- 
pend upon the imagination and dramatic feeling of the 
dancers. 

As the first line, "A call I hear!" is sung some one 
should raise the hand toward the ear, another raise it as 
a warning to keep quiet. The line "Hark! soft the 
tones and weak" is an address to one another in the 
groups. Then comes another sudden arrest, "Again 
the call!" These three lines should be sung without 
any change of position either by the groups or by the 
individuals. Action should be confined to the hands 
and the head. When singing the fourth line all should 
begin to stir, to adjust their pouches, tighten their hold 
on the wooden hoes and, as if moved by a common im- 
pulse, should prepare to go and seek the source of the 
call. In their going the groups should not fall into one 
line but each group move by itself. During the refrain 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 37 

the dancers should act as if in doubt which way to go. 
At the line " Again the call ! " all should stop as if arrested, 
and then move off again when the refrain is taken up. 
All the groups should keep the rhythm of the music. 
There should be a good deal of by-play and the action 
should indicate bewilderment, both as to the meaning 
of the call and the locality whence it comes. It should 
appear as though some of the groups are baffled in their 
attempt to locate the call. 

2 
A call I hear! 
Hark! it is near at hand, 
The call! The call! 
Floats to us where we now stand. 
Refrain : Hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Again the call ! 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey they. 

The action of this stanza shows the dancers being led 
by the call to the "field," where the call seems to be- 
come clearer and at last is there located. The dancers 
should scatter in groups, while different individuals 
should look about searchingly but without breaking the 
groups. These should move here and there seeking for 
the "footprints" that had been left on the smooth tops 
of the little hills, and so lead to the action required for 
the next stanza. Whenever in the song the line "The 



38 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

call! The call!" occurs, there should be an apparent 
arrest of movement among the dancers as if to listen. 

3 
Again the call ! 
Forth to the light of day 

They come! They come! 
Come pushing upward their way. 
Refrain: Hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 

They call ! They come ! 

Ah hey hey they, 

Ah hey hey they, 

Ah hey hey they, 

Ah hey they. 

"Day" is the symbol of life; the kernels are coming 
"into the light of day" in the original Ritual Song, 
meaning they are entering into life. They call as they 
come, struggling and pushing their way through the 
breaking earth. This life movement should be indi- 
cated by the motions of the dancers as they pass in 
groups with rhythmic steps from one little hill to an- 
other. Directions as to how these motions should be 
made would hardly be helpful; the dancers can best 
plan this pantomime. 

4 

Again the call ! 
Two feeble leaves are seen, 

They call ! They call ! 
Soon shall we stand clad with green! 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 39 

Refrain: Hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 

They call ! They call ! 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 

Ah hey they. 

The original Ritual Song tells that the feeble leaves, 
the first shoots, cannot stand or support themselves, they 
are helpless as infants ; but they have come to the ' ' light 
of day," "have entered into life," and they will grow, 
become strong and stand, stretching ever higher into 
the light. The native stanzas portray the progressive 
movements of the corn from feeble helplessness into the 
power of life. The action of the dancers should convey 
this meaning by appropriate pantomime. 

5 
They call ! They call ! 
Up springs our jointed stem, 
They call ! They call ! 
Golden fruit shall grow on them. 
Refrain: Hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 

They call ! They call ! 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey they. 
In this stanza the promise of fruit is given. The 
dancers should show excitement not only at the wonder- 



4 o INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

ful spectacle they observe but because of the promise 
given. They should still keep in groups as they move 
about and exult in the results that have come from the 
little hills where they left their "footprints." 

In the original Ritual Song there are more than a 
score of stanzas in which the various occurrences of the 
growth of the corn are mentioned, mingled with sym- 
bolic imaginary. "Footprints" represent both labor 
and ownership. Those who planted the kernels look 
for these marks and rejoice over what they find. They 
had begun their planting "like a game," a venture; 
whether it would be successful or not no one could 
tell. But success had come. The action for the last 
stanza should indicate an abandonment to delight ; hoes 
should be dropped as the groups mingle and act out 
pleasure not only at what is seen but what is promised. 

A pause should follow, then the hoes should be picked 
up and the dancers gather by twos and threes in a line 
to return home ; as they start they break into the same 
song which they sang on the return from making and 
planting the little hills: 

Song No. 2 
Light our hearts and gay 
As we homeward take our way, 
While the winds about us play, 
Singing as we go, 
Hy-ya hy-ya hy-ya ho ! 
Hy-ya hy-ya hy-ya ho ! 
Hy-ya ho! 

Ho! 
Hy-ya ho! 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



4* 



53 b — ~b b^ 



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Light our hearts 


and gay As 


we home-ward take our 


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way,While the winds a- bout us play, 



Sing - ing as we 



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Hy - ya hy 



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hy - ya ho! Hy - ya 



£=£=£ 



1 



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hy - ya hy - ya ho ! Hy - ya ho ! Ho ! Hy-ya ho ! 

The dancers should keep up the song and rhythmic 
dance until their individual tents are reached. 



Dance IV 

Introductory Note. — This dance, taken from the 
Corn Ritual, represents a visit to the field later in the 
season when the harvest time is near at hand. The key- 
note of this visit is in a line of one of the many stanzas 
of the original Ritual Song, "I go in readiness of mind." 
The mind is assured, prepared to find in the place 
where the "footprints" had been made, where the little 
kernels had broken the covering of earth to reach "the 
light of day," that these have now grown tall and 
strong under the summer sun and are "standing in the 
fulness of day." This assurance is justified, for the 
corn is found ready to pluck, and some of its ears are 
joyously carried to the people at home. 



42 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

Properties. — The same costumes as those worn by the 
boys and girls in Dance II and III. The green scarfs 
used in Dance I will be needed in the latter part of this 
dance; these can be folded and carried in the pouches 
and pockets. 

Directions. — The scene should be laid in the same 
place as the two preceding dances and the dancers 
should gather at the same spot whence they started to 
the "field" in Dance II and III. 

The dancers, both boys and girls, should be discovered 
standing in an open group talking together in dumb 
show, evidently discussing the probabilities as to the 
ripening of the corn. They may have been saying: 
"Already the boys are shouting," "The cattail is in 
bloom!" This was a sign that the time had come for 
the corn to be ripe. Some one whose mind was "in 
readiness" makes the suggestion (in pantomime) to go to 
the "field"; to this all agree, and the group breaks into 
lines as the boy and girl dancers sing the following song: 

Song No. i 

In readiness of mind to the field we go, 

Where we footprints made, there stately jointed 

stalks grow. 
Loud rustle the long leaves, bright the tassels wave 
o'er each row. 
Refrain: Ah hey hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey they. 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



43 



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In rea - di - ness of mind to the fields we go, 



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Where we foot-prints made, there state - ly joint - ed stalks grow. 



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Loud rus - tie the long leaves, bright the tas 
Refrain ,„. 



wave oer 



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each row. 



Ah hey hey hey they, Ah hey hey they, 



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Ah hey hey hey they, Ah hey hey they, Ah hey they. 



The steps of the dancers must be in rhythm with the 
song and all movements should indicate a feeling of 
assurance. When the "field" is reached certain mo- 
tions of the feet should suggest a memory of the "foot- 
prints." The "field" is now covered by rows of tall 
cornstalks; therefore, when the "field" is reached the 
dancers should move in parallel lines, as if they were 
passing^between these rows. Some lines should cross at 
right angles, giving the effect of walking between high 
barriers, along pathways that intersect each other at 
right angles. When the dancers pass along these alleys, 
so to speak, movements should be made to indicate 
brushing against or pushing out of the way the "long 
rustling leaves" of the corn, and to point to the "waving 



44 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

tassels" far above their heads. This pantomime, with 
its rhythmic movements suggesting long lines of corn- 
stalks, the brushing aside with the hands of the long 
leaves of the stalks, should make an effective picture. 

2 

Strongly the ears shoot out, fill'd with golden grain, 
Up into the full light, life flowing in each vein, 
Sacred the corn now stands ready to give its strength full fain. 
Refrain: Ah hey hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey they. 

The length of the original Ritual Song, together with 
the picturesque quality of the native language, permits 
the bringing out in full detail of this scene of the cornfield : 
the ears standing at angles from the stalk, and the husks 
full of kernels replete with life-giving power. Because 
of this power the corn has now "become sacred," filled 
with life from Wakon'da, thereby related to that great 
power and through it linked to the life of mankind. The 
idea of this unity throughout all nature, including man, 
is fundamental to Indian thought and belief. It is ex- 
pressed in all his religious ceremonies and also in his 
vocations, both serious and playful. In the present 
instance it appeals to him through the planting, the 
growth, the maturing and the use of the corn, giving its 
life to man. 

To convey the picture of the cornfield, and to suggest 
the thoughts that imbue the scene as expressed in the 
native rituals, will require some study, but the effort 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 45 

will be well worth while. These thoughts were vital 
upon this continent centuries before the land became our 
home. The maize in all its richness and beauty has 
become ours to enjoy, and while we accept this gift let 
us not fail to catch and to hold the lingering vibrations 
of its native teaching that aimed to lift the thoughts of 
the worker in the cornfield to the Great Giver of Life and 
Beauty. 

In planning the pantomime for this stanza the dancers 
should not forget the rhythm of the song and to keep the 
lines as though they were walking between rows of tall 
cornstalks. 

3 
Where'er we look wide fields wait harvest to meet; 
Ripe are the ears we pluck, juicy the corn we eat; 
Filling our arms, we go homeward, happy hearts there we meet. 
Refrain: Ah hey hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey hey they, 
Ah hey hey they, 
Ah hey they. 

The action requisite for the interpretation of this 
stanza by pantomime is comparatively easy, as looking 
over the field ready for harvest, and plucking a few ears 
of the corn. Care should be taken not to appear to 
touch the row where the seven hills were made, for the 
product of these are to be used as the "first fruit offer- 
ing." During the singing of the first line of the third 
stanza a few of the dancers should slip behind some of 
the others and there take out their scarfs from the 
pouches or pockets, make each scarf into a loose bundle 



4 6 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

and carry it upon the folded arms as though it was filled 
with ears of corn. In this way, a few at a time, the 
dancers can secure their scarfs, and arrange them to look 
like bundles of corn to be taken homeward. 

All the lines that have been moving as between rows 
of corn should now come together and form a long line 
and with dancing, rhythmic steps, and arms filled with 
corn, return to the starting place, and from there wind 
about the camp ground singing the refrain, which can 
be repeated ad lib. until they finally disperse and go to 
their tents. 

Dance V 

Introductory Note. — This dance represents the 
bringing of the "first fruit offering" of the corn from the 
seven little hills that were ceremonially planted after 
the dead leaves of winter had been cleared away. The 
dancers who follow the seven leaders carrying the corn- 
stalks represent the people in triumphal procession in 
honor of Corn as "Mother breathing forth life." Both 
words and music of the song for this procession are taken 
from a great religious ceremony of the Pawnee wherein 
Corn is spoken of as A-ti-ra, Mother, with the prefix H' 
signifying breath, the sign of life. " H'A-ti-ra" ("Mother 
breathing forth life") is repeated over and over and is 
the only word used in this song. The repetition is not 
an idle procedure but an awakening of echoes in the 
native mind of all that Corn has meant to his ancestors 
and race during the centuries. The repeated words 
imply contemplation on the subject. This song when 
heard sung by a hundred or more could not fail to im- 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 47 

press one with its majestic fervor. The beautiful, 
bountiful maize giving its life that others might enjoy 
life, on another plane, is here reverently and joyously 
proclaimed "Mother." 

Properties. — Green and other bright colored scarfs 
or mantles, as many as there are dancers, boys and girls, 
also wreaths made of long leaves like those of the corn- 
stalk; these can be manufactured from green paper. 
Tall yellow plumes, similar to the tassel of the corn, and 
fastened to the wreath in such manner that when the 
wreath is worn the plume will stand above the forehead. 
Seven cornstalks, or wands so wound with green as to 
appear like the stalk of the corn with its tassel. 

Directions. — All the dancers should be wrapped in 
their mantles and have on their wreaths, the erect tassel 
plume standing directly over the middle of the forehead. 
Boys and girls must mingle in this dance. All dress as 
before, with the addition of the mantles. Implements, 
pouches and bows and arrows are not used. Of the 
seven who are to lead, four should be boys and three 
girls. When leading the procession and carrying the 
cornstalks, the first line of four should be a boy, two 
girls, a boy; the second line of three should be a boy, 
a girl, a boy. These seven must wear green robes or 
mantles and hold the cornstalks, with their hands draped 
by the mantle. The other dancers can wear green or 
other colored mantles or scarfs. The boys must sing 
the songs, for the volume of sound must be full in order 
to produce the true effect of this impressive ceremony. 
The seven dancers who have been selected to act as 
leaders should stand in a group by themselves in front 



48 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



of the other dancers, who are in loose groups at the rear. 
( )n the space which heretofore in these dances has rep- 
resented the "field," the seven cornstalks or wands 
should be laid in a windrow on the ground. When ready 
to begin the dance the dancers should be discovered in 
the two groups as already described, talking quietly in 
dumb show. 

The seven leaders, who are in the front group by them- 
selves, appear to consult together; then, led by one of 
their number, sing the following song: 

Song No. I 

Golden on ev'ry hand, 
Waving, the cornfields stand, 

Calling us thither; 

Calling us thither, 
First fruits to cull and bring 
Our sacred offering 

To great Wakon'da, 
Giver of Corn. 



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Gold - en on ev - 'ry hand, Wav - ing, the corn - fields stand, 



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Call - ing us thi - ther ; Call - ing us thi - ther, 



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First fruits to cull and bring Our sa - cred of - fer - in§ 
It 



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To great Wa - kon' - da, Giv - er of Corn. 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 49 

During the singing the seven leaders stand together 
wrapped in their green mantles. All the other dancers 
are grouped at a little distance back, still talking as at 
first in dumb show. At the third line they stop talk- 
ing, at the fourth line they give attention to the seven 
leaders, at the fifth line they join in the song. During 
the singing of this stanza there should be no change in 
the relative positions of the two groups, but during the 
singing, all who sing should keep up a gentle rhythmic 
swaying of the body. 

2 

Now to the field we hie, 
Where stands the corn so high, 

Calling us thither; 

Calling us thither, 
First fruits to cull and bring 
Our sacred offering 

To great Wakon'da, 
Giver of Corn. 

The seven leaders, at the beginning of the first line of 
the second stanza, slowly fall into line and with deliber- 
ate rhythmic steps move toward the "field," reaching it 
by the fifth line, and while singing that line they should 
pick up the cornstalks and hold them, with their hands 
draped with their green mantles, high to the front. 

At the close of the first stanza the other group of 
dancers should resume a dumb show of speaking to one 
another until the third line of the second stanza, when 
they change their attitude and give attention; at the 
fourth line they join in the song, and at the fifth move 
toward the "field" where are the seven leaders. By the 



50 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



(.lose of the second stanza all the dancers should be in 
one group at the "field." 

All the dancers stand there at the "field" a moment 
in silence. Then the seven leaders sing the Introduc- 
tion to the following Processional Song: 



Introduction: 



Song No. 2 

Follow Mother Corn, 
Who breathes forth life! 



Chorus: H'A-ti-ra, H'A-ti-ra, H'A-ti-ra, A-ti-ra, 
H'A-ti-ra, A-ti-ra, H'A-ti-ra, A-ti-ra, 
A-ti-ra, H'A-ti-ra, A-ti-ra. 
Introduction. D.C. 



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Fol - low Moth -er Corn, Who breathes forth life ! H'A - ti - ra, 
Stately. 



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H'A - ti - ra, 



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ti - ra, 

D.C. 



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H'A 



This song is retained as sung in the original Pawnee 
ceremony; the meaning has already been explained. 

The Introduction is sung by the seven leaders, who 
advance in two rows, four in the first, three in the sec- 
ond, and in this manner they lead the Processional 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 51 

Dance. At the chorus, all the other dancers fall in be- 
hind the leaders, either in couples or singly, every one 
singing. All steps must be rhythmic and in time with 
the music. The seven leaders move steadily, also in 
time with the music, as they hold the cornstalks high, 
while the followers wave their scarfs or mantles and 
dance happily and lightly, but with dignity. The 
picture should be one of contrast as the procession takes 
its way among trees and through the sunny fields, the 
seven moving evenly, with the corn held high, and the 
joyous, fluttering group of dancers following. 

The Life of the Corn culminates in a delight of 
color, movement and song. 



The He -de Wa-chi 

An Omaha Festival of Joy 

Introductory Note. — For centuries the home of 
the Omaha tribe has been in the region now known as 
the State of Nebraska, north of the city which bears 
their name. There they dwelt in permanent villages, 
surrounded by their garden plots of corn, beans, squashes, 
etc. From these villages every year in June all the 
tribes except the sick and infirm went forth to follow 
the buffalo herds in order to obtain their supply of meat 
and pelts. As this tribal hunt was essential to the needs 
of the life of the people, it was a very serious affair, 
initiated with religious ceremonies and conducted under 
strict rules enforced by duly appointed officers. It was 
at the close of this great tribal hunt, when food and 



52 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

clothing had been secured, while Summer lingered and 
the leaves had not yet begun to fall, so that brightness 
was still over the land, that this Festival of Joy took 
place. Like all Indian ceremonies, the He-de Wa-chi 
embodied a teaching that was for the welfare of the 
tribe, a teaching drawn from nature and dramatically 
enacted by the people. The Omaha tribe was made up 
of ten distinct groups, each one having its own name, a 
set of names for those born within the group, and 
certain religious symbols and ceremonies committed to 
its care. By tribal rites and regulations these ten dis- 
tinct groups were welded together to form the tribe, 
whose strength and prosperity depended upon internal 
harmony and unity. 

The He-de Wa-chi taught the people what this unity 
really stood for. The central object of the ceremony 
was a tree, which was the symbol of the tribe; its 
branches were as the different groups composing the 
tribe, the twigs that made up the branches were as the 
individuals that formed the groups. 

The Omaha had special ceremonies for the prepara- 
tion of the central object. They cut a tree, left a tuft 
of branches at the top and painted the trunk in alter- 
nate bands of red and black. The red bands represented 
day, the black, night; the decoration as a whole stood 
for the continuity of time. This pole was planted 
in a broad open space. As the melodious Call to the 
Ceremony echoed over the land, the people gathered 
from their tents. Each one of the ten groups took its 
respective place and all the groups formed a wide circle 
about the tree. Every one, down to the little children, 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 53 

carried a twig with leaves. These they held aloft as 
they made their rhythmic, ceremonial approaches to 
the tree, and afterward danced about the sacred symbol. 

It was a wonderful and a beautiful scene that took 
place on the prairies years ago, when hundreds of 
Omahas moved to the rhythm of the sacred songs, 
waving the green sprays as they danced up to the 
symbolic tree and circled about it with thanksgiving and 
joy. It was thus they exemplified tribal unity, wherein 
every one was a part of the living whole. 

This ancient American ceremony should live anew 
with us wherever we gather to enjoy the delights of 
nature in goodly company. 

Directions. — It may be difficult to prepare a young 
tree for the central pole after the manner of the Omaha ; 
if so, a space around a single tree can be made to serve. 
Bands of red and black muslin or paper should be put 
about the tree trunk; these are to symbolize the days 
and nights enjoyed during the camp time. The mem- 
bers of the camp should be divided into groups and each 
group have a name and a color. Small branches should 
be gathered, equal in number to those who will take part 
in the dance. If actual branches are not available, 
wands can be used; to these fluttering decorations of 
green paper should be attached, also a streamer the color 
of the group. Each group should be assigned a place 
in the wide circle that is to be made about the tree. 

When all are ready the following Call should be sung. 
The Indian words are retained, as they are easy to pro- 
nounce and fit the meaning, and are adapted to the long 
echoing cadences of the Call. 



54 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



Song No. i 

THE CALL 

Zha-wa i-ba i-ba e-he, 
Zha-wa i-ba i-ba ha e-he. 



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Zha - wa 



ba 



ba 



he, 



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Zha 



ba 



ha 



he. 



[Words: Zha-wa = to rejoice; i-ba = come; ha = 
vowel prolongation of the syllable ba; e-he = I bid you. 
"I bid you come to rejoice."] 

This English translation of the native words does not 
convey the stirring appeal of the Omaha: "To rejoice! 
Come! I bid you." The stress of the music of the Call 
is on "Zha-wa," to rejoice; the notes which carry the 
words "e-he," " I bid you," seem to float afar as if to 
reach the most distant member of the tribe with the 
summons. The cadence of the Call echoes itself, as the 
second line is like the first, only lower in tones. 

When all of the camp have gathered in response to 
the Call, each group must stand in its appointed place 
and every member hold a decorated wand. Four beats 
of the drum are now to be given ; the beats must not be 
loud or rapid. When the reverberations of the drum 
cease, absolute quiet must be maintained, each one's 
wand must hang downward from his right hand, while 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 55 

the following chant is given, sung by the leaders of the 
groups. The words are by John B. Tabb, the music is 
arranged from the Omaha invocation. 

Song No. 2 

INVOCATION 

All that springeth from the sod, 
Tendeth upward unto God; 
All that cometh from the skies, 
Urging it anon to rise. 



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All that springeth from the sod, Tend-eth up- ward un - to God ; 



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"1^-J^^ ^^ H 



v ©-^ 

All that com-eth from the skies, Ur - ging it a - non to rise 1 

This chant takes the place of the prayer sung at this 
point of the ceremony by the Omaha Keepers of the 
Tribal Sacred Pipes. The prayer in the original has no 
words, vocables only are used, for the music is what 
carries the appeal to Wakon'da (God). 

At the close of the chant two strokes of the drum 
should be given. Then the leaders should sing the first 
line of the following song; all the camp respond at the 
beginning of the second measure, and the song follows. 
This music is the dance song of the ceremony when all 
the Omaha tribe made four rhythmic advances toward 
the sacred tree, stopping at the close of each advance. 
The song was sung four times, once for each forward 
movement. 



56 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



Song No. 3 

APPROACH TO THE TREE 

Leaders: Every one lift up the branch ! 

Response by all: Up it goes! 

Song by all: Dancing, singing, we like leaves sway to and fro- 
Happy leaves! Dancing leaves! 
Swinging as the breezes blow, 

So will we ever be 
Blithe and joyous as we go. 



Leaders' Solo. 








Response. 


:SONG. 






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Every one lift up the branch! Up it goes ! Danc-ing, sing - ing, 



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we like leaves sway to and fro. Hap -py leaves ! Dancing leaves ! 



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Swing - ing as the breez - es blow, 



So will we 



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ev-er be Blithe and joy-ous as we go. 



Hi-o! 



"Hi-o!" is the call given by the leaders for the dan- 
cers to pause. When this call is heard, all the branches 
must be at once lowered and every person stand still. 
After a brief pause the leaders will again sing the com- 
mand, "Every one lift up the branch!" then comes the 
response, " Up it goes ! " The song immediately follows, 
all the wands held high and waving in rhythm to the 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 57 

melody while the second advance is made. Each one of 
these advances should be but a few steps, on account of 
the limitations of space. The dancing steps, the rhyth- 
mic movements of the body and the swaying wands 
should give an undulating line suggestive of waving 
branches. The available space on the grounds should 
be calculated so as to permit the four approaches accom- 
panied by the dance song to reach a point near the tree, 
yet far enough to permit the forming of two circles of 
dancers around its base. At this point the company 
should divide into two parts, one part to form an inner 
circle and the other to form an outer circle. These two 
circles are now to dance around the tree, one to go from 
right to left, the other from left to right. At this time 
the leaders tie their wands to the trunk of the tree, but 
all the others retain their wands while they dance in 
these concentric circles. All should sing the dance- 
song, keeping time with the feet and waving the wands 
to the rhythm of the music. As the dance goes on, the 
time can be accelerated and the circles become wider 
and narrower, but in all these movements the rhythm of 
song and dance must never be broken — for the rhythm 
stands for the binding force of a common, social and 
loving life. 

Song No. 4 

DANCE AROUND THE TREE 

Dance the leaves in sunlight, 
Dance the leaves in dark night, 
Leaves ever, ever dance on the tree, 
The Tree ! 



58 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 




Dance the leaves in sun -light, Dance the leaves in dark night, 
i ^ 

SI 



^ 

Leaves ev - er, ev - er dance on the tree, The Tree. 
2 

High we lift the green branch, 
Dance and wave our green branch, 
Each one is a green branch of the tree, 
The Tree ! 

3 
Now we all return them, 
Bind them to the tree stem, 
While we sing the glad word, Unity! 
OTree! 

4^ 
Strong our hearts in daylight, 
Strong our hearts in still night, 
Thus the He-de Wa-chi bids us be, 
OTree! 
This dance-song can be repeated as often as desired. 
When at last the leaders wish it to stop they must give 
the call, "Hi-o!" as they did for the pause in the Dance 
of Approach to the Tree. 

When this signal is given, the members should toss 
their wands at the foot of the tree from the place where 
they had stopped dancing. 

In the ancient Omaha ceremony the people had the 
vast expanse of the prairie at their disposal, yet each 
tribal group kept its appointed place, not only during 
the dance, wherein they made four approaches toward 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 59 

the sacred tree, but when all the groups formed into two 
great circles the tribal order of their relative positions 
was still preserved. The two circles were made up 
according to sex. The women and girls danced in one 
direction next to the pole, the men and boys formed the 
outer circle and danced in the opposite direction. This 
dance was the occasion of much hilarity and fun. Old 
and young danced with vigor, and great was the delight 
of the tribe as it spun around the emblematic tree carry- 
ing branches. At the close of the dance all tossed the 
branches at the foot of the pole, leaving a mound of 
green on the widespreading plain. 

If boys and girls take part, as they should, in this 
ceremony, let the girls form the inner circle and the 
boys the outer circle as they dance about the tree in 
true Omaha fashion. 

In real Indian life every vocation has its accompani- 
ment of song, no matter how homely may be the employ- 
ment. So, keeping faith with that ancient American 
custom, let the camp be put in order after the ceremony 
while all sing the following song, which may be called the 
Clearing Up: 

Song No. 5 

THE CLEARING UP 

Now is our dancing ended, 

Light are our hearts as our footsteps 

Turn at our leaders' bidding. 

Safely we gather together 

Branches that served our play-time, 

Setting our camp all in order 

Ere to our tents we betake us. 



6o 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



g 



A'. 



Now is our danc - ing end - ed, Light are our 






hearts as our foot - steps Turn at our lead - ers' 



i 



JTT? J" 



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bid - ding. Safe - ly we gath - er to - geth - er 



|g ^IZ:jrt:ldg^ Eg 



Branch-es that served our play - time, Set - ting our 



f^ ^=^u = ma^T-r^T% 



camp all in or - der Ere to our tents we be -take us. 



This scene, in which all should take part, can be made 
merry as well as useful. 



PART II 



GAMES 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 63 



INDIAN GAMES 

Introduction. — All the games here presented have 
been played in our land for untold generations, while 
traces of the articles used for them have been found in 
the oldest remains on this continent. According to 
Dr. Stewart Culin, the well-known authority on Indian 
and other games, "There is no evidence that these 
games were imported into America at any time either 
before or after the conquest. On the other hand 
they appear to be the direct and natural outgrowth of 
aboriginal institutions in America." Dr. Culin calls 
attention to the reference to games in the myths of the 
various tribes. Among those of the Pueblo people 
mention is made of the divine Twins who live in the 
east and the west, rule the day and the night, the Sum- 
mer and the Winter, "Always contending they are the 
original patrons of play and their games are the games 
now played by men." (Bureau of American Ethnology, 
Vol. 24, p. 32.) It would lead too far afield to follow 
the interesting relation between ceremonials and games, 
a relation that is not peculiar to the culture found on 
the American Continent but which obtains the world 
around. The environment of man in general outline is 
much the same everywhere; the sun ever rises in the 
east and sets in the west; day and night always follow 
each other; the winds play gently or rend with force; 
the rains descend in showers or fall in floods; flowers 
and trees spring up, come to maturity and then die. 
Therefore, when man has questioned Nature as to the 
why and the wherefore of life, similar answers have come 



64 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

from all parts of the earth; so it happens that man's 
games, which often sportively reflect his serious thoughts, 
show a strange similarity. 

Indian games that depend upon chance, according 
to Dr. Culin, may be divided "into those in which the 
hazard depends upon the random fall of certain imple- 
ments employed, like dice, and those in which it depends 
upon the guess or choice of the player; one is objective, 
the other subjective." Games of the first or objective 
class are generally played in silence, while those of the 
second or subjective class, called guessing games, are 
accompanied by singing. {Ibid., p. 44.) 

In a game where the two sides contest, as in a ball 
game, the sides were frequently played by two different 
tribes or by two villages in the same tribe. In such 
cases the players often went through a course of train- 
ing in order to prepare them for the contest. Bathing, 
exercise and diet had to be followed according to pre- 
scribed custom. Among the Cherokee the partaking of 
rabbit was forbidden, because the animal is "timid, easily 
alarmed and liable to lose its wits " ; so if the player ate of 
this dish, he might become infected with like character- 
istics. Mystic rites were sometimes performed to prepare 
the player so that he would be successful. {Ibid., p. 575.) 

According to the Indian belief, the pleasure of games 
was not restricted to mankind but was enjoyed by 
birds and animals. The following story from the Cher- 
okee is told by Mr. James Mooney and quoted by Dr. 
Culin {Ibid., pp. 578, 579): 

"The animals once challenged the birds to a great 
ball play. The wager was accepted, the preliminaries 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 65 

were arranged, and at last the contestants assembled at 
the appointed spot — the animals on the ground, while 
the birds took position in the tree-tops to await the 
throwing up of the ball. On the side of the animals 
were the bear, whose ponderous weight bore down all 
opposition; the deer, who excelled all others in running; 
and the terrapin, who was invulnerable to the stoutest 
blows. On the side of the birds were the eagle, the 
hawk and the great Tlaniwa — all noted for their 
swiftness and power of flight. While the latter were 
preening their feathers and watching every motion of 
their adversaries below, they noticed two small crea- 
tures, hardly larger than mice, climbing up the tree on 
which was perched the leader of the birds. Finally 
they reached the top and humbly asked the captain 
to be allowed to join in the game. The captain looked 
at them a moment, and, seeing "that they were four- 
footed, asked them why they did not go to the ani- 
mals where they properly belonged. The little things 
explained that they had done so, but had been laughed 
at and rejected on account of their diminutive size. 
On hearing their story the bird captain was disposed to 
take pity on them, but there was one serious difficulty 
in the way — how could they join the birds when they 
had no wings? The eagle, the hawk and the rest now 
crowded around, and after some discussion it was de- 
cided to try and make wings for the little fellows. But 
how to do it ! All at once, by a happy inspiration, one 
bethought himself of the drum which was to be used in 
the dance. The head was made of ground-hog leather, 
and perhaps a corner could be cut off and utilized for 



66 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

wings. Xo sooner suggested than done. Two pieces of 
leather taken from the'drumhead were cut into shape and 
attached to the legs of one of the small animals, and 
thus originated the bat. The ball was now tossed up 
and the bat was told to catch it, and his expertness in 
dodging and circling about, keeping the ball constantly 
in motion and never allowing it to fall to the ground, 
soon convinced the birds that they had gained a most 
valuable ally. They next turned their attention to the 
other little creature ; and now behold a worse difficulty ! 
All their leather had been used in making wings for the 
bat and there was no time to send for more. In this 
dilemma it was suggested that perhaps wings might be 
made by stretching out the skin of the animal itself. 
So two large birds seized him from opposite sides with 
their strong bills, and by tugging and pulling at his 
fur for several minutes succeeded in stretching the skin 
between the fore and hind feet until at last the thing 
was done, and there was the flying squirrel. Then the 
bird captain, to try him, threw up the ball, when the 
flying squirrel, with a graceful bound, sprang off the 
limb and, catching it in his teeth, carried it through 
the air to another tree-top a hundred feet away. 

" When all was ready the game began, but at the very 
outset the flying squirrel caught the ball and carried it 
up a tree, then threw it to the birds, w r ho kept it in the 
air for some time, when it dropped; but just before it 
reached the ground the bat seized it, and by his dodging 
and doubling kept it out of the way of even the swiftest 
of the animals until he finally threw it in at the goal, 
and thus won the victory for the birds." 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 67 

Hazard Games 

Introductory Note. — The objects which are thrown 
or tossed in games of hazard Dr. Culin for convenience 
has designated as "dice" and he calls the games "dice 
games." {Ibid., pp. 44, 45.) He found these games 
among one hundred and thirty tribes belonging to 
thirty different linguistic stocks. Throughout this wide 
distribution the "dice" are not only of different forms 
but are made from a variety of materials: split-cane; 
wooden or bone staves or blocks; pottery; beaver or 
muskrat teeth; walnut shells; persimmon, peach or 
plum stones. All the "dice" of whatever kind have 
the two sides different in color, in marking, or in both. 
Those of the smaller type are tossed in a basket or bowl. 
Those that are like long sticks, similar to arrow shafts, 
from which they are primarily derived, were thrown by 
hand. Myths of the Pueblo tribes speak of the game, 
in which "dice" shaped like a shaft were used, as being 
played by the War Gods. The split-cane "dice" were 
"sacrificed" on the altar sacred to the Gods of War. 
In this connection it is interesting to find evidence that 
the "dice game" of hazard was associated with the 
thought of war among tribes very different, both in 
language and customs, from the Pueblo Indians. Among 
the tribes living on the prairies the word used to indi- 
cate a "point" made in a "dice game" is derived from 
the same root as the word used to indicate an honor 
won on the field of battle. 

Two examples of the class of games called "dice 
games" are here given: the first a Pueblo game played 



68 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

almost exclusively by men; the second a game found 
among the Omaha and kindred tribes and almost ex- 
clusively played by women. 

I 
Pa-tol Stick Game 

Properties. — Three wooden billets ; a flat stone about 
six inches in diameter or square; forty stones about as 
"big as a fist" or like pieces of wood; as many sticks 
for markers as there are players; counters to score the 
game. 

Directions. — The three billets, called pa-tol sticks, are 
made four and a half inches long, one inch wide and 
half an inch in thickness; it is important that the wood 
from which they are made be firm and hard. Two of 
the billets are plain on one side, on the other side a 
diagonal line is incised from the left-hand upper corner 
to a point about two inches below the right-hand upper 
corner; another diagonal line is incised from the right- 
hand lower corner to about two inches above the left- 
hand lower corner. The third pa-tol stick has the same 
design on one side, and on the other side the design is 
repeated and an additional diagonal line incised from 
the right-hand upper corner to the left-hand lower 
corner. It would be well to blacken all these incised 
lines in order that the designs can be readily seen during 
the playing of the game. 

A circle, called the Pa-tol House, about three or four 
feet in diameter, is made by setting forty stones "about 
the size of a fist" so as to form the circumference. Be- 



PA-TOL STICK "DICE" 

Counts for pa-tol sticks 

BSD 
S B S 
DD0 



2 points 



3 points 



5 points 



10 points 



15 points 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 69 

tween every tenth and eleventh stone there must be an 
opening of four or five inches. These openings must face 
the north, east, south and west ; they are spoken of as 
"rivers." The flat stone is placed in the middle of the 
circle. 

Each player has a marker, a small stick or twig, which 
is called his "horse." As many can take part in the 
game as conveniently can seat themselves around the 
pa-tol house. 

The following description of the game is given by 
Dr. Charles F. Lummis and quoted by Dr. Culin (Ibid., 
pp. 191, 192): "When the players have seated them- 
selves, the first takes the pa-tol sticks tightly in his 
right hand, lifts them about as high as his chin and, 
bringing them down with a smart vertical thrust as if 
to harpoon the center stone, lets go of them when they 
are within some six inches of it. The three sticks strike 
the stone as one, hitting on their ends squarely, and, 
rebounding several inches, fall back into the circle. 
The manner in which they fall decides the denomination 
of the throw, and the different values are shown in the 
diagram. Although at first flush this might seem to 
make it a game of chance, nothing could be farther from 
the truth. . . . An expert pa-tol player will throw the 
number he desires with almost unfailing certainty by 
his arrangement of the sticks in his hand and the manner 
and force with which he strikes them down. It is a 
dexterity which any one may acquire by sufficient prac- 
tice, and only thus. The five throw is deemed very 
much the hardest of all, and I have certainly found it 
so. [See diagram.] 



70 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

"According to the number of his throw the player 
moves his marker an equal number of stones ahead on 
the circle, using one of the rivers as a starting point. 
If the throw is five, for instance, he lays his horse be- 
tween the fourth and fifth stones and hands the pa-tol 
sticks to the next man. If his throw be ten, however, 
as the first man's throw is very certain to be, it lands 
his horse in the second river, and he has another throw. 
The second man may make his starting point the 
same or another river, and may elect to run his horse 
around the circle in the same direction that the first is 
going or in the opposite. If in the same direction, he 
will do his best to make a throw which will bring his 
horse into the same notch as that of the first man, in 
which case the first man is killed and has to take his 
horse back to the starting point, to try over again when 
he gets another turn. In case the second man starts in 
the opposite direction — which he will not do unless an 
expert player — he has to calculate with a good deal of 
skill for the meeting, to kill and to avoid being killed by 
the first player. When he starts in the same direction he 
is behind and runs no chance of being killed, while he 
has just as good a chance to kill. But if, even then, a 
high throw carries him ahead of the first man — for 
jumping does not count either way, the only killing being 
when two horses come in the same notch — his rear is 
in danger, and he will try to run on out of the way of 
his pursuer as fast as possible. The more players the 
more complicated the game, for each horse is threatened 
alike by foes that chase from behind and charge from 
before, and the most skilful player is liable to be sent 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 71 

back to the starting point several times before the 
game is finished, which is as soon as one horse has made 
the complete circuit. Sometimes the players, when very 
young or unskilled, agree there shall be no killing; but 
unless there is an explicit arrangement to that effect, 
killing is understood, and it adds greatly to the interest 
of the game." 

II 
Plum Stone Game 

This game belongs to the second and non-ceremonial 
class of the games of hazard and is generally played by 
women. The Omaha type is here given, but it is similar 
to the game as played by kindred tribes. 

Properties. — Five plum stones ; a basket or wooden 
bowl; one hundred counters. The Omaha used stalks 
of the blue joint grass as counters, but small twigs or 
sticks will serve. 

The plum stones should be carefully cleaned and dried. 
Two of the stones are burned black on both sides with a 
hot iron; on one side of each of these stones a crescent 
is marked, and between the lines of the figure the black 
is carefully scraped so as to leave a clear design of a new 
moon on a background of black. On the other side of 
these two stones a star, four or five pointed, is drawn 
and all the black within the lines is scraped off, leaving a 
brown star on a background of black. The other three 
stones are each burned black all over on one side; the 
other side is left the natural color of the stones. These 
stones can be prepared in camp, but the basket or wooden 
bowl will probably have to be furnished from outside. 



72 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

Directions. — Two players to one basket or bowl. 
The game is generally one hundred points. 

The two players sit opposite and have the basket or 
bowl between them, with the five plum stones lying in the 
bottom. The one hundred counters are within reach 
at one side. As points are made, the winner takes a 
corresponding number of counters from the general pile 
and lays them beside her on the side opposite to the 
general pile; when this is exhausted, then the winner 
takes her counters from the winnings of her opponent. 
Whoever wins all of the one hundred points has the game. 

Lots should be drawn to decide who shall have the 
first play. The one who wins the first play takes the 
bowl or basket by the rim with both hands and gives it a 
toss sufficient to throw.up all the stones, but not violent 
enough to make them fall outside the bowl or basket; 
such a throw would not count. If the throw is not such 
as to move all the stones, make them turn and all move 
about within the bowl, that throw will not count. 

The following are the combinations that count, that is, 
make points: 

Two moons and three whites (natural color) = 10 
points. 

Two stars and three blacks = 10 points. 

One moon, one star and three whites (natural color) 
= i point. 

One moon, one star and three blacks = I point. 

No other combinations count anything in the game. 
As will be seen, there are a number which cannot be 
counted. If one tosses the bowl and the stones fall in 
such manner as to make a combination that does not 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 73 

count, there is no forfeit ; the player merely fails to score 
any points. The player who wins a point, or points, 
keeps on tossing the bowl until she fails to make a point. 
She must then let her opponent toss the bowl, who will 
keep tossing the bowl as long as she can win a point. 
There are players among the Indian women who are very 
skilful and are able to make the stones fall frequently 
in the combinations that win ten points. 

Guessing Games 

Introductory Note. — Games of the "subjective" 
class, designated as guessing games by Dr. Culin, were 
generally accompanied by singing. There is a great 
variety in the games of this class, and five examples 
drawn from different sections of the country are here 
presented. 

Indian games of this character do not always depend 
so much on chance as on the quickness of vision and 
skilful manipulation by the players. In games of this 
class the Indians never make random motions, all their 
movements, whether of the body, the feet, the hands or 
arms, being always in strict accord with the accompa- 
nying song, while the drama implied in the game is acted 
out, at the same time, more or less clearly. In these 
games the Indian players seem to be impelled by a com- 
mon rhythmic and dramatic impulse, making a unity 
that enhances the interest and pleasure excited by the 
game. 



74 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

I 
PU-IN 

Introductory Note. — This was a favorite game 
among the natives of the Northeastern States; its 
"strange whimsies" were first mentioned by William 
Wood in his book, "New England Prospect," published 
in London, 1634. It is probable that some form of this 
game still persists among the scattered descendants of 
those nearly extinct tribes, but it is not likely that at the 
present day the victor would proclaim his prowess, as 
was formerly done, by wearing in the holes of his ears 
the counters that marked the number of his successful 
guesses. 

Properties. — A number of wheat or other straws cut 
about a foot long ; a mat or blanket ; a pointed staff for 
the Leader. 

Directions. — Ten straws must be laid aside as coun- 
ters for each player. The rest of the straws are sepa- 
rated into tens and each ten tied with a wisp, making a 
bundle; one bundle must have eleven straws. There 
should be as many bundles as players. The bundles 
must all be tied alike. The game consists in guessing 
which bundle has the eleven straws. The number of 
guesses allowed in a game must be fixed upon before 
starting to play. 

All the bundles are thrown in a heap upon the center 
of the mat. The Leader, who is generally chosen by lot, 
leads the players to the mat containing the bundles. 
Each player holds in his left hand his ten counters and 
follows the Leader with his staff as he moves around the 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



75 



mat from left to right, while all sing the following song, 
taking steps to the rhythm of the music : 



GAME SONG 



^m 



D.C. 



3E 



fcpsM£^ 





Ah hey they hey, Ah hey they hey, 


Ah hey they hey, Ah 


p 




*~ ~ & ± l R N N, J 


— i S B R • 


1 


pT. yJ. J- ; j> j 


N — s^^U 



hey hey ah hey, Ah they hey they they, 



Ah 



When the Leader strikes his staff on the ground every 
player must stop just where he happens to be, stoop and 
pick up a bundle with his right hand and begin to wave 
it above his head and sway his body to the time of the 
song. When the Leader points with his staff to a player, 
that person must make a guess. As he scans the waving 
bundles he points with his left hand that holds his 
counters to the bundle which he thinks contains the 
eleven straws. If the guess proves to be correct, the 
guesser puts one of his counters in his hair or behind 
his ear. At once all bundles must be thrown in a heap 
on the mat. The Leader then moves forward by the 
left, followed by the players, every one singing and keep- 
ing time with the song. When the Leader strikes the 
ground with his staff, all halt. Each player immediately 
seizes a bundle, holds it aloft and begins to wave it. 
The Leader designates with his staff a person who must 
guess. If the guess is wrong, the guesser drops one of 
his counters on the mat and the Leader points to another 



76 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

player who must guess. If he loses, he drops one of his 
counters on the mat; the guessing goes on as described, 
until some one is successful and puts a counter in his hair, 
when the bundles are all thrown on the mat and the play 
begins again as before. Should the person designated 
by the Leader to guess think that he holds the bundle 
with eleven straws, he must point it at the Leader. If 
this surmise is correct, the person guessing puts a coun- 
ter in his hair and all bundles are again thrown on the 
mat. 

In this way the game proceeds until some player has 
won the requisite number of counters and has them all 
standing in his hair. Throughout the game the singing 
must be kept up, accompanied by rhythmic movements 
of the feet and the body, the players acting as though 
searching among the tall grass for a desired clump. 
When a point is won, the Leader should shout out the 
counter won, without interrupting the song or the play. 
Among the Indians the game, once started, is kept going 
without halt or break in the song or the movements. 
The calling out of the winnings in no way disturbs the 
singing or the playing. 

The victor should wear his successful counters in his 
hair the rest of the day, if possible. 

II 

Ata-a-kut 

Introductory Note. — This game is played among 
one of the basket making tribes of California. As not 
infrequently occurs in Indian games, there is in this 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 77 

pastime a reflection both of the environment and of the 
vocations of the people who used it. The drama or 
theme of the play is the search for a particular reed, 
which for the purpose of the game is marked in a special 
way. 

Properties. — A mat or blanket and about fifty reeds ; 
the reeds should be similar in thickness and about a foot 
long. 

Directions. — The number of points which shall con- 
stitute winning the game should first be agreed upon; 
if ten be the number, then twenty reeds should be set 
aside as counters and the rest used as game-reeds. All 
of these latter must be alike save one, and that reed must 
have a black band about an inch or so wide painted 
around the middle, that is, midway between the two 
ends of the reed. It is this particular reed that must be 
detected or its location guessed. 

The mat or blanket should be laid east and west. 
The two players sit opposite each other, one near the 
northern edge of the mat, the other near the southern 
edge. The counters are divided in half, one-half put at 
the eastern end of the mat, the other half at the western. 
The counters at the east belong to the player sitting 
at the north, those at the west to the player at the 
south. Two singers stand back of each player. The 
spectators are grouped about the mat, but must not be 
too near the players. Lots are drawn to decide which 
player shall "hold the reeds." The player who loses 
the chance to "hold the reeds" becomes the one who is 
to be the guesser. 

All the game-reeds, including the reed with the black 



7 8 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



band painted on it, are thrown in a pile in the center of 
the mat or blanket. The player who is to "hold the 
reeds" gathers all the game-reeds in his hands, brings 
them behind his back, where he shuffles and divides the 
reeds into two bunches, one for each hand. When he is 
ready to bring his hands forward, each one with a bunch 
of reeds grasped by the middle, the two singers standing 
behind him start the following song: 



GAME SONG 



m=ttM J ' J ' J' M W ; ; ; 



He ah 



ya ha e tha, He ah e ya ha e 



^rf^=f 



=*=£= 



tha, He ah 



tha, He ah 



ya ha 



r^f^^Wrr-rT^r^ 



e ya ha 



tha, 



He ah 



ya ha e tha. 



When the music begins, the player holding the reeds 
sways his body from side to side, moves his arms and 
hands with the reeds and simulates being blown by the 
winds. The opposite player, by the movements of body 
and arms, indicates that he is pushing his way through 
tall reeds tossed by the wind, searching for something 
he desires to find. Both players in all their movements 
must keep in rhythm of the song, observe strict time and 
strive to make their actions tell the story plainly. The 
guesser through all his motions must keep his eyes on 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 79 

the bunches held by his opponent, seeking for an indi- 
cation to show which one contains the marked reed. 
When he is ready to guess he extends both arms toward 
the bunch he has fixed upon, as if to grasp it. At this 
action the holder of the reeds must open his hand and 
let the reeds of that bundle fall on the mat. The guesser 
then searches among the spilled reeds for the one that is 
marked ; if he finds it, he holds it up so that all can see 
that his guess has been correct and the reed discovered. 
The two singers who stand behind him give the victory 
shout, go to his pile of counters, take one and place it at 
his right hand, then the reeds of the other bunch are 
thrown by the holder on the mat, so that all the game- 
reeds are lying in the center, as at the beginning of the 
game. 

The player who made the successful guess now picks 
up the game-reeds and behind his back shuffles and 
divides them. When he is ready to bring forward his 
two hands holding the reeds, the two singers standing 
behind him begin the Game Song, while he waves the 
bunches, acting what is now his role, that of the reeds 
being blown about by the winds. The other player now 
becomes the guesser and must act as though he were 
searching among the blown reeds for the one he desires. 

The player who "holds the reeds" is thought to have 
the advantage ; that is why lots are drawn at the begin- 
ning to decide who shall have that part in the game. 
The player holding the reeds aims to make the guessing 
as difficult as possible by deftness in hiding the banded 
reed, so as to keep his advantage. 

Every time a guess is made the reeds of the bunch 



80 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

guessed must at once be dropped on the mat, that all 
may see the reeds while the guesser searches among them 
for the marked reed. If he cannot find it, the singers 
who stand behind him call out that a point has been 
lost, take a counter from his pile and place it at the right 
hand of the player holding the reeds, who at once drops 
all the game-reeds on the middle of the mat, to be again 
taken up by him, shuffled and divided behind his back, 
when he resumes the waving of the bunches of reeds 
blown by the wind and the guesser who lost starts to 
make another guess. Should he be successful, the 
counter he had lost wozdzFbe- taken back and placed at 
his right hand. In this manner counters lost can be 
reclaimed, until one or the other of the players has won 
and been able to hold the number of counters required 
for the game. 

The presentation of the little drama of this game 
rhythmically affords an opportunity for considerable 
dramatic action and yields pleasure both to the per- 
formers and to the spectators. This game was much 
played among the tribes where it was known. 

Ill 
Hand Game 

Introductory Note. — This game, Dr. Culin states, 
is played among eighty-one Indian tribes of the United 
States. The game bears different names in the various 
languages of these tribes. Hand Game is a descriptive 
term and not a translation of any native name ; it refers 
to the fact that the object is held in the hand during the 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 81 

play. The following form of this game is the way it was 
formerly played among the Nez Perce Indians of the 
State of Idaho. Lewis and Clark, who were the first 
white men to record their meeting with these Indians, 
mention this game, and Capt. Bonneville gives an account 
of it when he visited the tribe during the third decade of 
the last century. 

Properties. — A bone or wooden bead about two inches 
in length and half an inch in thickness; thirty counting 
sticks (these are sometimes spoken of as arrows, and 
there are indications that they were once arrows — the 
arrows of the twin gods); a mat oblong in shape; two 
logs or pieces of board about the length of the mat, and 
as many sticks (to be used as drum-sticks) as players can 
sit on one side of the mat. 

Directions. — The mat should be laid east and west, 
the logs or boards put on the north and south edges and 
the counting sticks placed in two piles of fifteen each on 
the ends of the mat. The players sit on the ground, a 
row on each side of the mat to the north and south. 
Lots are drawn to decide which side shall have the bead 
"in hand." The Leader and the singers must always 
stand behind the row of players who have the bead "in 
hand." The opposite side must have the drum-sticks 
and beat on the log or board in time with the singers. 

When the players are seated in two rows, one on each 
side of the mat, the Leader hands the bead to a player 
on the side that has drawn the right to have the bead 
"in hand," and then takes his place beside the singers, 
who stand behind that row, and starts the following 
song. All in that row join in the singing. 



82 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



HAND GAME SONG 






Ha a a ho e tha a, Ha a a ho e tha ha, 



ffi^^^^^torhm 



Ha a a ho e tha a, Ha a ho - e tha. 



m$m 



I • « J- 



-ft IT ■* -N- 



^ * #: 



*=a: 



Lit - tie stone, where are you hid - ing ? Ha a 



j ^ =? ; ;-^^7— /f7 ; j I 



ho - e tha a, Ha a 



a ho - e tha. 



The players on the opposite side, who are to guess who 
is hiding the bead, at once begin to beat the time of the 
song on the log or board that is in front of them, on the 
edge of the mat, and at the same time they must watch 
the other side where the players are trying to pass the 
bead from one hand to the other and from one person to 
another without exposing the bead to view. In all these 
actions the movements of hands, arms and body must 
be rhythmical and in time with the song. All the 
players in the row that has the bead "in hand" must 
act as if each one either had the bead or was trying to 
pass it on, whether he actually has the bead or does not 
have it. 

When one on the opposite side thinks he detects the 
whereabouts of the bead and is willing to risk a guess, 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 83 

he points his drum-stick to the hand he thinks has the 
bead and cries, "Hi-i!" and the hand indicated must be 
immediately opened so that all may see whether the 
guess is correct or not. If the bead is seen to be in the 
opened hand, the Leader calls out, "Success!" and goes 
to the pile of counting sticks belonging to the side of the 
guesser, takes one and stands it in the ground in front 
of the successful guesser. The Leader then hands the 
bead to the player who has won and proceeds to gather 
the drum-sticks and distribute them to the players on 
the opposite side. The singers pass around and take 
their places behind the row of players who now have the 
bead "in hand." When all are in readiness, the Leader 
starts the song again and the players begin their move- 
ments of secretly passing the bead, while the other side 
beat time with their drum-sticks on the log or board in 
front of them. The side that has the bead "in hand" 
always does the singing, led by the Leader and singers, 
who must stand at the rear of the row having the bead. 

If a guess is incorrect the Leader goes to the pile of 
counting sticks that belongs to the side which has the 
drum-sticks, takes a counting stick and thrusts it in the 
ground in front of the row opposite to the guesser; that 
means one lost to his side. The bead in that instance 
remains on the same side until it is won by the opposite 
side through a successful guess. 

In this manner the game goes on until one side or the 
other has won all the thirty counting sticks and become 
the victor in the game. 



84 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

IV 
Hiding the Disks 

Introductory Note. — This game, known under a 
variety of names, is a favorite among the Indian tribes 
living on the North Pacific Coast. The disks, always of 
an uneven number, are made of wood and ornamented 
with designs composed of segments of circles with 
groupings of dots. Some of the markings are regarded 
as cabalistic, and there are men who claim to have a 
knowledge of spells that will bring luck to the disks they 
ornament and treat; such disks are considered valuable 
and often command a high price. All of the disks in a 
set that is used in this game are ornamented alike except 
one; this must be different from the others. It may be 
decorated with red, for the sun, or with a dark color 
almost black, for the night. This disk is frequently 
called the "chief," and the aim of the game is to guess 
in which pile of disks the "chief" is hidden. 

Properties. — A mat on which the game is played ; a 
small mat on which the counting or tally-sticks are put; 
a board that is to serve as a drum; four drum-sticks; 
nine wooden disks about two and a half inches in diam- 
eter. The designs on the nine disks, the twenty tally- 
sticks and the four drum-sticks should be in color or 
burned into the wood. Eight of the disks should be 
decorated alike; the ninth must be different and have 
either red or brown as the predominating color; this disk 
is the "chief." A bundle of excelsior is to be the sub- 
stitute for the fiber of cedar bark which is used by the 
Indians of the Northwest Coast when playing this game ; 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 85 

if excelsior is not available, dry leaves or some other dry 
material might be substituted, within which, or under 
which, the disks could be hidden. All the articles used 
in this game except the mats should be made in camp. 

Directions. — An uneven number of players is required 
for this game. The mat is laid east and west; at a 
little distance back to the northwest the small mat is 
placed and on it are put the twenty tally-sticks. In 
a line with the small mats to the northeast is laid the 
board around which the four singers and drummers sit. 
The bundle of excelsior, or whatever material is used in 
its place, together with the nine disks, is put at the 
western end of the mat ; before these is the place for the 
player who is to hide the disks. On the northern and 
southern side of the mat sit the players who are to 
guess where the "chief" is hidden, three or four on a 
side. The messenger stands at the eastern end of the 
mat facing the player who is to hide the disks. Lots 
should be drawn to determine who of the six or eight 
players are to sit on the northern side and who on the 
southern side. The player who is to do the hiding of 
the disks can be either selected or drawn by lot. Who- 
ever takes this part in the game should be capable of 
considerable dramatic action. Among the Indians the 
person who does the hiding of the disks personifies one 
who practices magic; he makes passes over the disks 
and the cedar fiber under which the disks are hidden, 
makes signs and movements, and does what he can to 
throw a spell of confusion over those who are to guess 
where the "chief" is hidden. 

When the players about the mat, the singers about the 



86 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



board drum and the messenger standing at the eastern 
end of the mat are all in readiness, the singers begin the 
following song, keeping time by beating with their 
drum-sticks on the board drum; the players about the 
mat join in the singing. 

HIDING THE DISKS 



^^ 



3$ 



m 



E ya ha 



ha 



tha, E ya 



ha 



ha 



tha, 



f^f=r 


FN P* PS 






SF3= 


— • * • ps 1 

-* a 


t*=*= 


^ P £ ^ 1 

' ' d V -J- ' 



E ya 



ha 



tha, 



E ya 



ha 



ha 



tha, 



i 



J 



i=-t3t 



^=S 



E ya 



ha 



tha, 



E ya 



ha 



tha, 



in 

E ya 



-*— *- 



Tt 

e ha e 



tha, 



ha 



ha 



tha, 



ya 



ha 



i 



$=p: 



« 



1 



ya 



ha e tha. 



The player at the western end of the mat opens the 
bundle of excelsior or other material and spreads it on 
the mat and then puts all the nine disks under the ma- 
terial, making many movements as he does so, all of 
which must be in rhythm with the song, rolling the disks 
about under the material and finally dividing them into 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 87 

two parts, well covered up by the material. He con- 
tinues to make passes with his hands as though invoking 
mysterious forces and to shuffle around the two piles of 
material in which the disks are hidden. Suddenly a 
player points to one of the piles; the player at the end 
ceases to shuffle and sends the disks concealed in the 
pile rolling down the mat to the messenger standing at 
the other end, who looks to see if the "chief" is among 
the disks rolled toward him. If he finds it, all of the 
players on the side of the guesser give the victory shout 
and the messenger goes to the small mat, brings one of 
the tally-sticks and stands it before the successful 
guesser. Then the messenger rolls the disks back to 
the other end of the mat where the person sits who 
hides the disks. That player begins again his passes 
and movements as he mixes together the nine disks and 
hides them under the material ; then he divides the disks 
and the material under which they are hidden into two 
piles, shuffles them about until a player points to a 
pile, when he at once stops shuffling and sends the disks 
under the pile pointed at rolling down the mat to the 
messenger. If the "chief" is not found among the 
disks, the side to which the unsuccessful guesser belongs 
loses a point, and the messenger takes from the small 
mat a tally-stick and stands it at the end of the row of 
players on the opposite side. The disks are then sent 
spinning over the mat to the player who hides them. 
He mixes up the disks, hides them, shuffles the piles 
until another guess is made. If that guess should be 
by a player on the side that had just lost a point, and 
the guess prove to be successful — that is, the pile pointed 



88 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

at contain the "chief" — then the messenger takes the 
tally-stick that had been put at the end of the row of 
the opposite side and stands it in front of the successful 
guesser. He could not take back a tally-stick that had 
been won by a guess unless all the tally-sticks had been 
taken from the small mat. One side or the other must 
win twenty points to be victor in the game. In the pro- 
cess of winning the game the tally-sticks may therefore 
be taken back and forth before one side wins the entire 
twenty. 

The victory shout is given only when a successful 
guess is made. The singing stops at a victory shout 
and is resumed as soon as the disks are rolled back to 
the player who hides the disks. He must be careful to 
keep all his dramatic actions and movements of hands, 
arms, body and head in rhythmic accord with the song. 
The steps and movements of the messenger must also 
be in time with the song. 

V 

I-OU'-TIN 

Introductory Note. — This game belongs to the 
class of guessing games. The form here presented is 
adapted from the game as played by the Omaha, Otoe, 
Ponca and Pawnee tribes, among whom it is a favorite. 

Properties. — A standard, or the camp flagstaff can 
be used; a blanket or rug; three official scarfs, one blue, 
one green, one white; two wands, one decorated with 
blue and the other with green; eight tally-rods, orna- 
mented at one end with red tassels; two small balls of 



DIAGRAM FOR I-OU'-TIN 



Standard 
Blanket or rug 
Drum 
Wands 
5 Tally-rods and balls 
Custodian 
Judges 
Guessers 
Singers 
Players 



WEST too 



NORTH 



,'\0 



/d\ 




08 



08 



01 



EAST 



/O 



\P.x 



SOUTH 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 89 

a light, soft material, hair or wool; a drum; six deco- 
rated drum-sticks ; rosettes of blue and of green ; strips 
of blue and green paper. 

Directions. — A fairly level open space large enough 
for a circle of from twenty to thirty feet in diameter is 
marked upon the ground, in the center of which the 
standard is planted. Directly west and on a line with 
the standard the blanket or rug is spread. In front 
of the rug and on a line with the standard the drum 
is set. At a little distance on each side of the drum the 
two wands are thrust in the ground, the one decorated 
with blue to the north, the one with green to the south. 
On the rug back of the drum the eight tally-rods are 
laid in a bunch, with the butts of the rods toward the 
east. At the butts of the rods are placed the two little 
balls. 

The players draw lots as to which side they are to be- 
long. This is done by putting the green and blue strips 
of paper in a receptacle and each one drawing a strip. 
Those who draw blue belong to the north side; those 
who draw green, to the south side. Each player must 
then fasten a rosette, of the color of the side to which he 
or she belongs, on the shoulder; those who belong to 
the north side must put the blue rosette on the right 
shoulder, and those who belong to the south side must 
put the green rosette on the left shoulder. 

Officers. — Two Judges; a Custodian; two Guessers; 
six Singers. 

The players on the north side choose from among 
their number one who is to be their Judge; the players 
on the south side choose one for their Judge. It is the 



90 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

duty of the Judges to select the Custodian, the six Sing- 
ers, the two Guessers; to preserve order, decide when 
there are disputes, and to lead in the opening ceremony. 

The Custodian has charge of all the properties, must 
place them as directed, move the drum from side to 
side, and at the close of the game gather all the articles 
required for the game and put them in a place of safe 
keeping for use at another time. The Custodian wears 
the official white scarf tied about the waist. This officer 
does not wear any rosette, as the Custodian does not be- 
long to either side but to all who take part in the game. 

The Judge on the north side must wear the blue 
official scarf. This is crossed over the breast from the 
right shoulder, on which is the blue rosette, to the waist 
on the left side, where it is tied. The Judge on the south 
side wears the green official scarf. This is crossed over 
the breast from the left shoulder, where is the green 
rosette, to the waist at the right side, where it is tied. 

The six Singers, three for each side, sit in an open 
group on the ground near the ends of the rug, those 
wearing blue rosettes on the north and those wearing 
green rosettes on the south side. The players take their 
seats on the ground on the line of the circle, those wear- 
ing blue rosettes on the north half, those wearing green 
rosettes on the south half of the circle. 

When all are in their places the Custodian leads the 
two Judges to the rug, on which they are to sit a little 
back of the wands — blue to the North, green to the 
South. The Custodian then takes up the tally-rods, 
gives four to each of the Judges and retires to stand 
back of the rug, behind the Judges, ready for duty. 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



91 



Up to this moment laughing and talking goes on 
among the players, but as the Custodian divides the 
tally-rods and hands them to the Judges instant silence 
falls on all present. 

The Opening Ceremony 

The two Judges rise in their places. The north side 
Judge holds the four tally-rods in his right hand, the 
south side Judge holds the four tally-rods in his left 
hand; the two then walk abreast to the standard. 
There they face the North, move forward a few steps, 
pause, and each Judge holds up his tally-rods to the 
North, while all the players on both sides of the circle 
sing the following song: 

Song 



Hail! O North! Thy wind send 

To blow care away, 

To bring joy to-day; 
Makes Eyes keen, 
Make Hands swift for play. 



^N- J'JUJ-JL g ^ p^ g 



Hail ! O North ! Thy wind send To blow care a - way, To 



i 



s 



^" Xfrj r-fl 



§be 



X5 



bring joy to-day; 



Make eyes keen, Make hands swift for play. 

At the close of the stanza the two Judges lower their 
tally-rods, turn, walk toward the East, pause, then 



92 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

elevate their tally-rods, and all the players sing the sec- 
ond stanza. 

2 
Hail ! East ! Thy wind send 
To blow care away, 
To bring joy to-day; 
Makes Eyes keen, 
Make Hands swift for play. 

At the close of the stanza the two Judges lower their 
tally-rods, turn, walk toward the South, pause, again 
elevate their tally-rods, while all the players sing the 
third stanza. 

3 
Hail ! O South ! Thy wind send 
To blow care away, 
To bring joy to-day; 
Make Eyes keen, 
Make Hands swift for play. 

At the close of this stanza the two Judges lower their 
tally-rods, turn, walk toward the West, pause, once 
more elevate their tally-rods, and all the players join in 
singing the fourth stanza. 

4 
Hail! O West! Thy wind send 
To blow care away, 
To bring joy to-day; 
Make Eyes keen, 
Make Hands swift for play. 

At the close of the song the Judges lower their tally- 
rods and walk to the rug, where they take their appointed 
seats behind the respective wands. They then lay all 
the tally-rods on the space between them. 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 93 



The Contest 

A contest now takes place between the two persons 
chosen by the Judges to be the two Guessers, one for 
each side, to decide which shall begin the game. The 
Judge for the north side calls the name of the person 
chosen to be the Guesser for that side and the Cus- 
todian escorts him to his place within the circle. The 
Judge for the south side calls the name of the person 
chosen to be Guesser for that side, and the Custodian 
escorts him to his place within the circle. The Cus- 
todian then gives to each the wand belonging to his side 
and also one of the small balls. 

The Guesser from the north side hides his ball in one 
of his hands, shifting it behind his back, then he holds 
out both hands in front of him with all the fingers 
closed except the index finger, which is extended as if 
pointing to the other Guesser. Both hands and fore- 
arms must be rhythmically moved up and down. The 
south side Guesser watches for a moment and then 
points with his wand to the hand he thinks has the ball. 
As soon as he points to a hand, it must be immediately 
opened, palm upward. Should the ball be in the other 
hand, it must be shown to be lying there. If the guess 
was correct, the ball being in the hand pointed at, it 
counts one. Three correct guesses must be made by 
one of the Guessers in order to secure for his side the 
right to open the game. In this contest the Guessers 
must alternate, first the north side Guesser, then the 
south side Guesser, and so on until one of the Guessers 
has won three correct guesses. That decides it. His 



94 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



side is to hide the ball and the other side's Guesser is 
to do the guessing. 

The Game 

The Custodian takes the drum from its position in 
front of the rug, carries it to the side of the success- 
ful Guesser and sets it before the three Singers who are 
to lead in the singing of the song belonging to that side 
of the circle of players. Every one on that side must 
sing the song as they hide the balls. Only those on the 
side that is hiding the balls sing. They can only sing 
the song that belongs to their side. 



Song for the North Side 
m.m. J =100. 






W 



Drum-beats 



Hay ah 



i 



ifcfc 



r r 

> hah hay 

—i 8>— A 



r r r 

i hah hay ah o hah 



m 



r 

hay 



r 
hah 



r r 

hay ah hay 



r 

hay 



r 

hah. 




Song for the South Side 

-a- 



fe^ a 



t 



ah 



f 

tha 



r 

he ah 



3E &jL-$jL^ = 





1 




r 

i 


r 




r 




f 


tha 


he 


tha - a 


he ah 


a 


tha 


he 


tha 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 95 

There are no words for either of these songs. The 
vocables given are those used with these songs when the 
Indians sing them as they hide the balls. 

The Custodian takes the two balls from the Guessers 
and hands them to two persons designated by the 
Guesser who has won the right for that side to begin. 
The two persons designated must be two who are sitting 
together. They each take a ball, and they must hide the 
balls in the same manner as did the Guessers during 
the contest. The fingers of the hands are closed, all 
but the index finger, which is extended as if pointing. 
The hands and arms move up and down and also from 
one side to the other; all of these movements must be 
in exact time to the song and the drum-beats. These 
swaying, rhythmic movements are pleasing to the eye 
and add to the enjoyment of the game. While the two 
persons having the balls are hiding them, swaying their 
hands and arms, the Guesser, who is of the opposite side, 
is watching intently the hands of the players. When he 
is ready to make a guess he points his wand to where 
he thinks the balls are — directly in front, if he suspects 
the balls to be in the two inside hands. If he thinks the 
balls are in the two outside hands, he points his wand 
to one of the hands and extends his empty hand toward 
the other; in that case the Guesser stands with both of 
his arms extended. As soon as the Guesser points with 
his wand, the hands indicated must be at once opened, 
palms upward, so that all can see whether the guess is 
right or wrong. 

Every correct guess counts one for the side of the 
Guesser. As soon as a correct guess is made, the Judge 



96 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



for that side takes up one of the tally-rods and lays it 
toward his side; this shows that a point has been won 
for that side. If the guess is wrong, the Judge for the 
other side takes up one of the tally-rods and lays it 
over on his side. The other side has lost one, while 
his side has gained by the other's loss. 

To win a sweep, all the eight tally-rods must be gained 
by one side. Three sweeps by a side gives that side the 
game. 

Whenever a sweep is made the balls are handed over 
to the Custodian. The two Judges rise, go to the 
standard, stand there, one facing North (his side), the 
other the South (his side) . The two Guessers go to the 
standard, stand there, one facing East, the other West. 
All the winning side rise, go toward the standard and 
form a circle around it. There they sing the Victory 
Song. 

Victory Song 



i 



3 



ra 4 i- 



Drum-beats 

Hi ya 



ya 



ya 



i 



pp^ =i 



■:. 



JH: 



ho 



Hi ya 



r r r 

ho hi ya ho 



ya 



r 7 

ho ah 



iE^^^EE ^M=h=^i=^ m 



r ? r 

ho Hi ya ho 



r - ? 

hi ya ho 



r 7 7 7 

hi ya ho ah ho. 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 97 

As they sing they sway their arms as though hiding 
the balls, and dance to the rhythm of the song. Four 
times they dance around the standard and sing the 
Victory Song. All movements must be in time with 
the song. At the close of the fourth circuit of the 
standard, all return to their appointed places and the 
game is resumed. 

The Custodian takes up the drum, carries it to the 
side that has just danced and sets it before the three 
Singers of that side. The Guesser, who is of the op- 
posite side, designates the two who are to hide the balls 
and the game proceeds as described above. 

Whenever a side that has been hiding the balls fails 
three times to elude the Guesser, then the Custodian 
takes the drum from that side and carries it to the 
other side of the circle, puts it before the Singers and 
gives the balls as directed. Sometimes there are dis- 
putes as to these transfers and as to the points lost; 
three must be lost to secure a transfer. It then becomes 
the duty of the Judges to decide. 

With every transfer of the drum the song changes. 
The balls and the right to sing go together, but the song 
belonging to one side must not be sung by the other 
side. The songs are not interchangeable. 

This game is provocative of fun and merriment as 
well as dexterity of hand and quickness of vision. It 
also presents a very pretty spectacle. It is greatly en- 
joyed by Indian men, women and children. It has also 
found favor with merrymakers of our own race. 



98 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

Ball Games 
Introduction 

Indian ball games have one feature not found in the 
ball games as played by us ; that is, with the Indian the 
ball is never pitched and tossed by hand during the 
play. At the opening of an Indian game the ball must 
be tossed by hand, but after that the ball is struck by 
a racket, stick or club and in that way sent from player 
to player and on to the goal. An exception to this gen- 
eral rule is found in an Omaha ball game given in the 
following pages. 

The opening ceremony requires the ball to be handled 
and moved in a peculiar and ceremonial manner by the 
hand of the Umpire before he tosses it up for the be- 
ginning of the actual play. 

The balls used by the Indians are of different materials 
— buckskin stuffed with hair; formed from roots, such 
as the wild-grape vine ; wood ; bladder netted with sinew ; 
and in a few instances, of bone or stone. 

Three ball games are here given. 

I 
Ball and Racket 

Introductory Note. — The game in which the ball 
is struck with a racket is almost exclusively played by 
men, but there are tribes where it is played by women, 
and one tribe, cited by Dr. Culin, where it is played by 
men and women together. The form of ball game 
where the racket is used was less widely distributed over 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 99 

the country than some others. It was most frequently 
found among tribes living near the Atlantic Coast and 
in the region of the Great Lakes. It had a limited 
range on the Pacific. There are two forms of the 
Racket Ball Game, one where a single racket is used 
and the other where two rackets are employed to catch 
the ball. The latter form is peculiar to the tribes for- 
merly living in the Southern States. The game here 
given ispresented as it is played among the Chippewa 
tribes dwelling in Minnesota. 

Properties. — A ball, not too hard and the size usually 
employed for cricket. As many rackets as there are 
players. Red and yellow head-bands equally divided 
as to number and enough for all the players. 

Directions. — The field should be as large as the 
camp ground will permit. At the extreme East of the 
field a tall pole should be set as a goal and a like pole 
at the West for the other goal. To the pole at the East 
a red streamer should be tied and a yellow streamer to 
the pole at the West. These poles should be practically 
in line and as distant from each other as it is con- 
veniently possible to set them. The rackets should be 
made in camp. A racket can be made from a sapling 
cut at such length that when the racket is completed it 
will be 26 inches long. One end of the sapling is 
whittled flat on one side for a sufficient length to be 
bent roundjto the shaft or handle so as to form the rim 
of the circular receptacle which is to receive the ball. 
Sometimes both sides of this bent portion of the sapling 
are made flat. The end of this flat end where it curls 
round upon the shaft or handle must be bound firmly 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



to the shaft with thongs or heavy twine. Holes are 
sometimes bored through the rim and the thongs or 
twine are passed through them and woven into a loose 
netting to form a bottom to the coiled end, making a 
shallow cup-shaped receptacle in which to catch or hold 
the ball. The rackets are not difficult to make. Each 
lad should make his own racket and mark the stem with 
some device by which he can identify it should he drop 
it during the play. Care should be taken when making 
the racket to have the cup-shaped receptacle at the 
end of the shaft of such size as to hold the ball without 
its rolling about, in which case it would be easily dropped 
when being carried on a run ; yet it must be large enough 
to catch and hold the ball as it is flying about. The 
players should be divided into two parties by casting 
lots. Those who belong to the east goal should wear 
red head-bands; those who have the west goal should 
wear yellow head-bands. An Umpire must be selected. 
The ball must strike one of the goal posts to make a 
point; the number of points that shall constitute the 
game should be agreed upon. Two players, one from 
each side, stand near each goal. One helps the ball for 
his side; the other hinders the ball when near the goal 
by tossing it back into the field again so that his side 
may catch it. 

The Game 

The four players stand at their posts beside the two 
goals; all the others gather in the field. The Umpire 
takes the ball and goes to a place as near the center of 
the field as possible. All being in readiness, he throws 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 101 

the ball with force straight up in the air. Every player 
watches the ball and makes ready to try and catch it in 
his racket when it descends. If one succeeds in catch- 
ing the ball, he runs at full speed toward his goal, hold- 
ing his racket so that the ball will not fall out. The 
other players rush after him, trying to strike his racket 
and dislodge the ball. If he is hard pressed he may try 
to toss the ball to a player on his side who has a clearer 
space; if the ball is caught by the player to whom it 
was sent, then all the players turn upon the new holder 
of the ball and try to block his progress. In this game 
care must be taken never to strike the arm or body of 
a player; only the racket should be struck. There is 
danger of receiving injuries if this rule is not strictly 
observed. 

Perhaps one of the most difficult feats in this game is 
when a player has brought his ball near to the goal to 
so turn his racket while it holds the ball as to send the 
ball with such force that it will strike the post squarely 
and not miss the goal. The difficulty is owing to the 
horizontal position of the racket when holding the ball. 
Of course, the keenest playing is about the goal, where 
the guard of the side opposite to the player does his best 
to catch the ball on its way to the post and send it back 
into the field. 

The ball should not be allowed to touch the ground 
from the time the Umpire throws it into the air until it 
falls at the pole after a point has been made by the ball 
striking the post. It is the duty of the Umpire to go to 
the pole, mark the score, return with the ball to the cen- 
ter of the field, where he again sends it up into the air, 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



and the game starts afresh for a second point to be 
made. 

This game is good sport; it develops and requires skill, 
agility and strength. 

II 

Ta-be 

Introductory Note. — This ball game was known 
to a number of tribes that formerly lived on the prairies, 
and called by different names. The game as here given 
is as it was played among the Omaha. The opening of 
the game was ceremonial. The person who performed 
the opening ceremony had to belong to the tribal group 
that had charge of the rites pertaining to the Wind, for 
the figure outlined on the ground by the movements of 
the ball in the opening ceremony was one of the symbols 
of the Wind. The Wind when spoken of ceremonially 
was called the Four Winds, one for each of the four 
points of the compass. These Four Winds were re- 
garded as the messengers of the Giver of Life, known as 
Wakon'da by the Omaha and kindred tribes. The 
recognition of man's connection with the forces of 
Nature did not disturb the pleasure of the Indian when 
entering upon a game; on the contrary, it tended to 
enhance his happiness by bringing to his mind his de- 
pendence upon Wakon'da, together with the feeling of 
being in accord with the power represented by the Wind. 

'Properties. — A ball about three or four inches in 
diameter; the Omaha and kindred tribes made the ball 
out of the root of the wild-grape vine. As many sticks as 



EAST 



or 
O 




o 



193M 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 103 

there are players, the sticks to be about three feet long 
and crooked over at one end. Each stick should be 
marked by some design invented by its owner, so that 
each player can identify his stick. 

Directions. — A wide open field is best for this game. 
Two goals, one at the East, the other at the West. The 
goals are each made by two posts with a cross piece on 
top. The path of the ball is East and West. 

The officers of the game are : an Umpire, four Guard- 
ians of the Path. Two of the Guardians of the Path 
stand at the eastern goal and two at the western goal. 
The two Guardians at a goal represent the two sides; one 
wears a yellow streamer or badge, the color of the West ; 
the other wears a red streamer or badge, the color of the 
East. A red streamer is tied to the goal at the East and 
a yellow streamer to the goal at the West. It is the duty 
of the one who wears the color of the goal by which he 
stands to try and help the ball through the goal when 
it comes in that direction, and it is the duty of the one 
who wears the color of the opposite goal to prevent the 
ball from going through and to send it back into the 
field or toward the other goal. 

The players on the two sides are chosen in the follow- 
ing manner : The person who is to act as Umpire and to 
perform the opening ceremony must sit in a circle drawn 
on the ground, about six feet in diameter, and face either 
the North or the South. All the sticks are placed before 
him in a bunch. He is then blindfolded. After that 
he picks up a stick with each hand and lays down the 
stick that he has in his right hand on his left side, the 
stick that he has in his left hand he lays down on his right 



104 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

side. When he has finished dividing the sticks in this 
manner they are in two bunches, one toward the East 
and the other toward the West. The blindfold is then 
removed. When that is done, all the players run to the 
two heaps and each takes his own stick, recognizing it 
by the design marked or cut upon the stick. All those 
whose sticks were in the pile to the East must tie on a 
badge or streamer the color of the East, red. All those 
whose sticks were in the bunch toward the West must 
tie on the color of the West, yellow. 

All the players must now stand in two lines. One line 
starts from the circle and extends directly toward the 
goal at the East ; all in this line must be only those whose 
sticks were in the east pile and who have on the color 
of the East, red. The other line starts from the circle 
and stretches out toward the west goal, and is composed 
of those whose sticks were in the west pile and who have 
on the color of the West, yellow. The four Guardians 
of the Path take their places. The Umpire wears no 
color. All being in readiness, the Umpire advances to 
the middle of the circle. 

The Opening Ceremony 

The Umpire places the ball in the exact center of the 
circle, then he gently urges it with his stick in a line 
toward the North until it reaches the edge of the circle. 
There he picks it up and puts it back in the center of the 
circle. Again he gently pushes it with his stick along a 
line toward the South until the edge of the circle is 
reached, when he returns the ball to the center of the 
circle with his hand. In the same manner as before he 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 105 

■ 
sends the ball slowly along a line to the West. When 
the edge of the circle is reached he picks up the ball and 
returns it to the center. Once more the ball is moved 
in a line, this time to the East ; when it touches the line 
of the circle it is picked up as before and placed in the 
center of the circle. The symbolic figure that has thus 
been made is that of a circle within which two straight 
lines cross each other at right angles ; the circle is divided 
into four quarters, one for each of the Four Winds. 

The Game 

Every player now stands at attention, with his stick 
ready for action. The Umpire pauses a moment at the 
center of the circle, then he picks up the ball lying there 
and throws it into the air as high as he can. All the 
players, who have watched the throw, run in the direc- 
tion where the ball seems likely to descend, in order to 
have a chance to strike it toward one of the goals. 

To win the game the ball must be sent through a goal ; 
to strike it so that it goes over or around the goal does 
not count. The ball must be made to take a straight 
line, to "make a straight path" through a goal, then the 
game is won. When a good shot is made, all on the side 
of the one who made the stroke should send up a shout. 
When the goal is won the winning side should give the 
victory cry of the game, "Ta-be!" 

Ill 

Double-ball Game 
Introductory Note. — Some stories credit the Moon 
as the giver of this game to the women, by whom it is 



io6 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

exclusively played throughout the United States except 
among the tribes in Northern California, where the men 
use the game. There are indications that the Double- 
ball Game was known upon this continent in the remote 
past. 

The peculiar ball employed for this game is composed 
of two small stuffed pouches connected by a band, or 
two~billets of wood about five inches long, made like 
thick pegs with heads and ornamented on all sides with 
carvings; a leather thong five to eight inches long is 
attached at each end to the neck of each of the two bil- 
lets. Dr. Culin reports an ingenious specimen made by 
the Maricopa Indians of Arizona; that double-ball is 
made from narrow strips of leather braided to form a 
band, each end of which is enlarged by braiding so as to 
make a ball, the finished article being about eight inches 
in length. {Ibid., p. 665, Fig. 882.) 

Properties. — One double-ball ; as many sticks as 
players; red and yellow head-bands, equal in number, 
for the two sides of players. 

Directions. — The double-ball should be made in 
camp in the following manner: A strip of leather or of 
strong, closely woven brown cloth from fifteen to twenty 
inches long. For six inches from both ends the strip 
should be about seven inches wide; the portion of the 
strip between these wide ends should be about three 
inches wide. The wide ends are to form the pouches, 
and the narrower middle section the band to connect 
the two pouches. The two edges of the strip should be 
lapped and strongly sewed the entire length of the strip, 
except a small opening about an inch long left on the 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 107 

side of each of the pouches. Through this opening the 
pouches are filled with dry sand, then the edges are se- 
curely sewed together so that no sand can escape. These 
pouches are the "balls." The sides of the pouches 
should be decorated with designs painted in bright colors 
and a little tuft or tassel of red yarn fastened at the 
middle of the bottom of the pouch. The sticks should 
be about thirty-two inches long, not too heavy and 
somewhat pointed at one end that is slightly curved. 
Each stick should be marked by an individual device 
so that it can be claimed by its owner. 

Two wickets, made by crotched poles about five and a 
half to six feet high, having a bar fastened across the top, 
are placed in line with each other, one at the East, the 
other at the West, and as far apart as the limits of the 
camp grounds will permit. A red streamer to be tied 
to the eastern wicket and a yellow streamer to the 
western wicket. 

The players are divided into two parties of equal 
numbers and lots should be drawn to decide which side 
shall have the eastern goal, and all of that side must 
wear red head-bands; the other side must wear yellow 
head-bands to show that theirs is the western goal. 

An Umpire must be chosen, to whom belongs the duty 
of tossing the ball when necessary; to keep the score, 
and to settle any disputes. 

To make a point the ball must be tossed so -as to hang 
on the crossbar of the wicket. An agreement must be 
made as to how many points shall constitute the game. 



io8 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



The Game 

The players stand in two rows about fifteen to twenty- 
feet apart, one color on one side, the other color opposite. 
The Umpire takes a place between the two lines and as 
near as possible to the middle of the rows. When all 
are in readiness the double-ball is tossed by the Umpire 
straight up into the air, and all those whose places are 
near the middle of the rows watch the descent of the 
"ball" and try to catch on their sticks the connecting 
cord of the double-ball. If one succeeds, she tries to 
send it down the line toward the goal of her side ; those of 
the opposite side try to prevent success to this move- 
ment and to send the "ball" in the other direction. 
The "ball" should not be allowed to touch the ground 
from the time it is tossed until it is lodged on the wicket. 
The side that lets the "ball" fall to the ground loses a 
count, and the side that keeps the "ball" up until it 
reaches the goal scores two points, equal to four counts. 

Hoop and Javelin 

Introductory Note. — This game was widely known 
and played among the various tribes dwelling within 
the territory now occupied by the United States. In its 
passage from one tribe to another the game became 
modified into several types, but the fundamental char- 
acter was not changed, so that all these types are, in a 
sense, a unit. The game is very old upon this land; the 
articles used in playing it have been found in ancient 
graves, in the cliff dwellings of the Southwest and in 
various ruins scattered over the country. 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 109 

Among the Pueblo tribes the articles used in types of 
this game appear among the paraphernalia on altars 
prepared for certain ceremonies. From a study of these 
ceremonies in connection with the myths of the people 
it seems probable that the hoop used in this game repre- 
sents the shield of the War God. When the hoop has a 
netting that fills the center and covers the edges, the 
netting simulates the magic web of the Spider Woman, 
a person that frequently figures in the myths and stories 
of different tribes. Her web generally serves as a pro- 
tection furnished by her in a conflict. 

The netted hoop appears as a decoration upon the 
interior of pottery bowls formerly made by the Indians 
of the Southwest. In some of these bowls the netting 
is dotted with spots. Dr. Culin regards this particular 
design "as representing the spider web with the dew 
upon it," and adds: "The 'water shield' [of one of the 
Zufii War Gods], from which he shook the torrents, was 
suggested, no doubt, by dew on the web." {Ibid., p. 425.) 
To one unfamiliar with the Indian's habit of mind it may 
seem strained to connect the beads of dew on a spider's 
web with the torrential rain, but to one familiar with 
native thought as expressed in myths where the Indian 
has dramatized his conceptions of nature and of natural 
forces and phenomena, the connection ceases to be 
strange. 

On the Pueblo altars the netted shield is always asso- 
ciated with arrows, bows or darts. In the various types 
of this game the arrows, darts, bows, javelins and lances 
that are associated with the hoop are interchangeable, 
some tribes using one and other tribes another. Under 



no INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

all the varied types with their different forms as found 
among scattered and unrelated tribes the game holds to 
its original significance, primarily religious in character, 
being an appeal for the protection and the perpetuity 
of life. 

Only two articles are required for this game, the hoop 
and the javelin. In one type the hoop is covered with a 
netting more or less closely and elaborately woven. In 
all the netted designs it is usually possible to trace a 
figure as of a path crossing at right angles in the center 
of the space within the hoop and ending at four equidis- 
tant points on the edge of the hoop. This path indi- 
cates the path of the Four Winds, which stand with 
their life-giving power at the four directions, the North, 
East, South and West. In some localities the netting 
of the hoop is made from the yucca, in other places corn 
husks are used. With the closely netted hoop arrows 
are apt to be found. Some of these have as the shaft a 
corn cob with a stick about eighteen inches long thrust 
through the cob, sharpened at the lower end and a tuft 
of feathers tied to the upper end; this feathered stick 
is a prayer-stick such as is offered at a shrine. 

In another type of the game the hoop is of stone; the 
lance is associated with this kind of hoop. 

There are a variety of nettings for the hoop and much 
diversity in the style of arrows, darts and javelins used 
in the game. 

The simplest is chosen to be here presented, for the 
reason that both the articles used in the game should be 
made in the camp where it is to be played. The hoop 
and javelins were always made by the youths who joined 




Counts 2 



Counts i 



w 



HOOP AND JAVELIN 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES in 

in the sport, and the making of hoop and javelin was part 
of the fun. 

Properties. — A hoop and two javelins. 

The hoop is made in the following manner: A piece of 
rope, not of a heavy kind, about sixteen inches long will 
give the foundation for a hoop about four inches in 
diameter. The two ends should be spliced together so 
as to leave the edge of the hoop even. The ring of rope 
is wound with a strip of leather or cloth in order to give 
the hoop such a surface that it can roll and yet be flexible 
and light. 

The javelin is made of three parts, the shaft and the 
two barbs. The shaft is of wood, four feet long, round 
and smooth. An inch from one end a section three 
inches long is cut into both sides of the shaft a quarter 
of an inch deep, and the bottom and sides made smooth. 
The barbs are formed from two small branches cut from 
a tree or shrub so as to preserve three inches of the stem 
from which the branch forks ; the branch is cut so as to be 
five inches long and is made flat on the inner side. The 
stem is made flat on both sides; a flange is made on the 
outer side. Several pieces of leather are cut, a quarter 
of an inch wide and an inch long; these are bound for 
half their length to the inner and flat side of the branch 
so as to leave the ends free, which are bent up and stand 
like teeth along the barb. The stems of the barbs are 
now fitted into the sections cut on both sides of the shaft 
so that the barbs point backward on each side of the 
shaft, and are firmly bound in place on the shaft. About 
three inches from the other end of the shaft a band is 
cut around the shaft but not very deeply. The two 



ii2 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

javelins are made as nearly alike as possible in justice 
to the players. 

Directions. — A level course from North to South and 
from fifty to one hundred feet long. Four players ; two 
stand at the north end of the course and two at the 
south end. The one whose place is toward the East on 
the north and the one who stands toward the East on 
the south end are partners. Both of these players 
should wear a red band about the head, as red is the 
color of the East. The two players who stand toward 
the West at the two ends are partners, and these should 
wear yellow bands about their heads, yellow being the 
color of the West. The opponents in the game, therefore, 
stand side by side. Partners cannot help each other in 
the playing, but both players count for their side all the 
points they make. 

The javelin is grasped by the middle, the barbed end 
toward the back, and the plain rounded end is shot 
toward the hoop. 

The number of points that will constitute the game 
should be decided upon before beginning the game. Ten 
is the usual number among the Indians. Lots should 
be drawn as to which of the four players should be the 
first to throw the hoop. The one who draws the hoop 
then takes one of the javelins, and the player whose place 
is beside him takes the other javelin. 

The Game 

At a signal, the players with the javelins and the hoop 
start on a run along the course; the one with the hoop 
throws it a little upward with all his force and both 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 113 

players watch the course of the hoop, having their jave- 
lins ready to hurl at the hoop the instant they think they 
can reach it. If the javelin passes through the hoop 
and stops it so that it falls on the shaft below the band 
that was cut thereon, that throw counts two. If the 
hoop is caught on one of the barbs, that counts one. 
If the shaft goes entirely through the hoop so that it 
does not fall on the javelin, that counts nothing. If 
both javelins catch on the hoop, that is a draw and 
neither player can count the point made. If on this run 
and throwing of the hoop and javelins neither of the 
players scores a count, the player at the other end who 
is the partner of the one who threw the hoop now takes 
the hoop to throw it. He and his opponent who stands 
beside him now start on a run ; the hoop is thrown and 
the javelins hurled as before. In this way the players 
at the ends of the course alternate in throwing the hoop 
North or South, but the right to throw the hoop belongs 
to the player who makes the best point. The hoop thus 
passes from the east or west players according to the 
points made. 

The game is an athletic sport, and much skill can be 
developed in the throwing of the javelins and also in the 
tossing of the hoop so as to prevent scoring by the 
opponent. 

If the grounds are large enough, there is nothing to 
prevent having two courses and two games going on at 
the same time. 



ii 4 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



Follow My Leader 

This game is widely played among the Indian tribes, 
particularly by the boys, and also by the girls. The 
Leader improvises the steps and the movements, which 
all who follow must repeat and keep time to the song. 
The song here given is traditional in the Omaha tribe. 
It has been handed down from one generation of young 
folk to another — for how many, "nobody knows." 

The Game 

A Leader is chosen, and all who join in the game must 
go where he goes, dance as he dances, move the arms, 
hands and feet as he does. The skipping and dancing 
must be in exact time with the song that all must sing. 
The game gives opportunity for fancy steps, winding, 
intricate figures, "cutting capers" and merry pranks. 



te 



Song 

Follow my Leader where'er he goes; 
What he'll do next, nobody knows. 



7 



^S 



^feg 



Fol - low my Lead -er 



whdf- e'er he goes: 



^ 



5ee£ 



m 



i 



What he'll do next, 



bod - y knows. 



PART III 
INDIAN NAMES 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 117 



INDIAN NAMES 

Introduction. — Among the Indian tribes of the 
United States all personal names have a definite sig- 
nificance. Although there are diversities in the customs 
relating to names among the various tribes, yet, looking 
at these as a whole, personal names are observed to 
fall generally into two classes: First, those which refer 
to sacred rites; second, those which commemorate a 
personal achievement. 

An Indian tribe is composed of a number of kinship 
groups or clans. To each one of these, speaking gen- 
erally, belongs the hereditary duty of performing a 
certain rite and also the care of the sacred objects con- 
nected with that rite. Each kinship group or clan has 
a set of personal names, all of which refer to the rite 
peculiar to the clan, or to the sacred objects or to the 
symbols connected with the rite, and one of these names 
is given to each person born within the clan. Names 
of this class are generally retained by men and women 
throughout life and, to a degree, are regarded as sacred 
in character. These names have also a social significance, 
as they always indicate the birth status of the person, 
for the name at once shows to which clan or kinship 
group the bearer belongs. No one can exchange his 
clan or birth name, any more than he can change his 
sex. 

The names that belong to the second class are those 
which are taken by an adult to mark an achievement. 
This must be an act in which he has shown special 
ability or courage in successfully defending his people 



n8 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

from danger. Such a name, therefore, marks an epoch 
in a man's life and is strictly personal to the man, and, 
to a degree, indicative of his character or attainments. 
It sometimes happens, although but rarely, that a man 
on such an occasion may decide to take the name of a 
noted ancestor rather than acquire an entirely new 
name, but the character of the act of taking a new name 
is not thereby changed. 

These facts concerning the significance of Indian 
personal names throw light on the widespread custom 
observed among Indians of never addressing men or 
women by their personal names or of using those 
names in their presence. To do so is a breach of good 
manners. The personal name, as has been shown, 
refers either to the religious rites sacred to the bearer's 
clan or else to a notable act performed by the man; in 
both cases the name stands for something that is too 
closely connected with the life of the individual to 
make it fit for common use. The difficulty of designat- 
ing a person one wishes to address is met by the use of 
terms of relationship. Of course, in some companies 
these terms would be literally true and proper, but there 
are terms which are used in a wider sense and which 
do not imply actual kinship. (The subject of Indian 
relationships and their terms is too complex to be en- 
tered upon here.) There are terms which are employed 
merely to indicate respect. For instance, "Grand- 
father" is used when addressing or speaking of the 
President of the United States; "Little Father" and 
"Father" when addressing or speaking of the Secretary 
of the Interior and the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES n 9 

both of whom rank below the President, as is well known 
to the Indian. The use of terms of relationship may 
appear strange to us, but there is, as we have seen, a 
reason for it. This reason also explains why a child or 
an adult generally stands mute when we address him 
by his personal name or ask him what his name is ; his 
silence is not to be attributed to "Indian stolidity," 
which we ignorantly regard as a marked characteristic 
of the race. 

The bestowal of a name, whether the name is of the 
first or of the second class already described, was al- 
ways attended with ceremonies. These differed among 
the many tribes of the United States, particularly in 
their details, but fundamentally they had much in 
common. 

Presenting the Child to the Cosmos 

Among the Omaha a ceremony was observed shortly 
after the birth of a child that on broad lines reflects a 
general belief among the Indians. 

In the introductory chapter of this book the Indian's 
feeling of unquestioning unity with nature is mentioned. 
The following Omaha ceremony and ritual furnish di- 
rect testimony to the profundity of this feeling. Its 
expression greets him at his birth and is iterated at 
every important experience throughout his life. 

When an Omaha child is born the parents send to 
the clan that has charge of the rite of introducing the 
child to the Cosmos. The priest thus summoned comes 
to the tent wherein the infant lies and takes his stand 
just outside the door, facing the East. He raises his 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



right hand, palm outward, to the sky, and in a clear 
ringing voice intones the following ritual: 

Ho! Ye Sun, Moon, Stars, all ye that move in the heavens, 
I bid you hear me ! 
Into your midst has come a new life; 
Consent ye, I implore! 
Make its path smooth, that it may reach the brow of the first 
hill! 

Ho! Ye Winds, Clouds, Rain, Mist, all ye that move in the air, 
I bid you hear me ! 
Into your midst has come a new life; 
Consent ye, I implore! 
Make its path smooth, that it may reach the brow of the 
second hill! 

Ho! Ye Hills, Valleys, Rivers, Lakes, Trees, Grasses, all ye of 
the earth, 

I bid you hear me! 
Into your midst has come a new life; 
Consent ye, I implore! 
Make its path smooth, that it may reach the brow of the third 
hill! 

Ho! Ye Birds, great and small, that fly in the air; 
Ho! Ye Animals, great and small, that dwell in the forests; 
Ho ! Ye insects that creep among the grasses and burrow in the 
ground, 

I bid you hear me ! 
Into your midst has come a new life; 
Consent ye, I implore! 
Make its path smooth, that it may reach the brow of the 
fourth hill ! 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 121 

Ho! All ye of the heavens, all ye of the air, all ye of the earth, 
I bid you hear me ! 
Into your midst has come a new life; 
Consent ye, consent ye all, I implore! 
Make its path smooth — then shall it travel beyond the four 
hills! 

In this manner the child, the "new life," was intro- 
duced to the Cosmos of which it was now a part. All 
the powers of the heavens and of the earth were in- 
voked to render aid to the "new life" in its onward 
struggle over the rugged path that traverses the four 
hills of life, typifying Infancy, Youth, Maturity and 
Old Age. 

An infant was merely a "new life," it was wholly de- 
pendent upon others; no name was given it (only en- 
dearing terms were used), for the reason that a name 
implies either a sacred responsibility or a personal 
achievement, neither of which was possible to an in- 
fant. When, however, the child could go about alone, 
generally at three or four years of age, the time had 
arrived when it must be given a tribal name, one be- 
longing to the rites in charge of its birth group. By 
means of this ceremonial act the child was inducted by 
sacred rites into the tribe and became a recognized 
member. 

Giving the Child a Name 

This ceremony, formerly practiced among the Omaha 
and cognate tribes, took place in the spring, "when the 
grass was up and the birds were singing." A tent was 
set apart and made sacred by the priest who had the 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



hereditary right to perform the ceremony. As the occa- 
sion was one of tribal interest, many people flocked to 
the scene of the rite. 

A large stone was brought and placed on the east side 
of the fire that was burning in the center of the space 
inside the tent. When everything was ready the old 
priest stood at the door awaiting the arrival of the 
child. Then all the mothers who had children of the 
proper age wended their way to this tent, each one 
leading her little child, who carried in its hands a new 
pair of moccasins. As the two reached the tent the 
mother addressed the priest, saying: "Venerable man, I 
desire my child to wear moccasins." (This was a 
symbolic form of expression.) "I desire my child to 
walk long upon the earth, to be content with the light 
of many days. We seek your protection!" The priest 
made a formal reply and the little one, carrying its 
moccasins, entered the tent alone. After a few ritualistic 
phrases the priest accompanied the child to the fire place, 
where he and the child stood facing the East while the 
priest sang an invocation to the Four Winds. He bade 
them to come hither and stand in this place in four groups. 

At the close of this Ritual Song the priest lifted the 
child by the arms so that its little bare feet rested upon 
the stone, as it faced the South; then he lifted the 
child again by the arms and its feet rested on the stone, 
as it faced the West ; again the child was lifted and its 
feet were upon the stone, as it faced the North; once 
more the priest lifted the child and its feet touched the 
stone, as it faced the East. Then the priest sang the 
following Ritual Song: 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 123 

Turned by the Winds goes the one I send yonder, 
Yonder he goes who is whirled by the Winds, 
Goes where the four hills of life and the Four Winds are stand- 
ing, 
There into the midst of the Winds do I send him, 
Into the midst of the Winds standing there! 

This song and the entire ceremony, which is spoken of 
as "Turning the child," are highly symbolic and cannot 
be fully explained at this time. The Winds are the 
messengers of the great invisible Wakon'da and bring 
the breath of life and strength to man. At the close 
of this song the priest put the new moccasins on the feet 
of the child and sang another Ritual Song which says: 

Here unto you has been spoken the truth ; 

Because of this truth you shall stand. 

Here declared is the truth; 

Here in this place has been shown you the truth. 

Therefore, arise! Go forth in its strength! 

As the priest sang the last line he set the child on 
its feet and made it take four steps toward the East; 
these steps are typical of its now entering into life. 
Then the priest led the child to the entrance of the 
tent, where he called aloud the tribal name of the child, 
then for the first time proclaimed, adding: "Ho! Ye 
Hills, ye Grass, ye Trees, ye Creeping things, both great 
and small, I bid you hear! This child has thrown away 
its baby name! Ho!" 

All the children of the tribe passed through this 
ceremony and in this way received their sacred personal 
names, which were never dropped throughout their 
after-life, not even when a man took a new name. 



124 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



Bestowing a New Name 

The bestowal of a new name upon an adult generally 
took place at some tribal ceremony when all the people 
were gathered together. In this way as much pub- 
licity as possible was given to the act. Among the 
Pawnee tribe there were three requirements that had to 
be met in order to take a new name : 

First, a man could only take a new name after the 
performance of an act indicative of ability or strength 
of character; 

Second, the name had to be assumed openly in the 
presence of the people to whom the act it commemo- 
rated was known; 

Third, it was necessary that it should be announced 
in connection with such a ritual as that here given. 

These three requirements indicate (i) that a man's 
name stood for what he had shown himself to be by the 
light of his actions; (2) that this was recognized by his 
tribesmen, and (3) that it was proclaimed by one hav- 
ing charge of mediatory rites through which man can 
be approached by the supernatural. 

The old priest who gave the following ritual and ex- 
plained it said: "A man's life is an onward move- 
ment. If one has within him a determined purpose and 
seeks the help of the powers, his life will climb up." 
Here he made a gesture indicating a line slanting up- 
ward; then he arrested the movement and, still holding 
his hand where he had stopped, went on to say: "As 
a man is climbing up, he does something that marks a 
place in his life where the powers have given him an 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 125 

opportunity to express in acts his peculiar endow- 
ments; so this place, this act, forms a stage in his 
career and he takes a new name to indicate that he is 
on a level different from that he occupied previously." 
He added: "Some men can rise only a little way, 
others live on a dead level." He illustrated his words 
by moving his hands horizontally. " Men having power 
to advance climb step by step." Again he made his 
meaning clear by outlining a flight of steps. 

The following ritual is recited on the occasion of 
taking a new name and is a dramatic poem in three 
parts. The first gives briefly the institution of the rite 
of changing one's name in consequence of a new achieve- 
ment; the second shows how the man was enabled 
to accomplish this act. It begins with his lonely vigil 
and fast when he cried to the powers for help ; the scene 
then shifts to the circle of the lesser powers, who, in 
council, deliberate on his petition which makes its way 
to them and finally wins their consent; then the winds 
summon the messengers and these, gathering at the 
command of the lesser powers, are sent to earth to the 
man crying in lonely places, to grant him his desire. 
This part closes with a few vivid words which set forth 
that only by the favor of the powers had the man been 
able to do the deed. The third part deals with the 
man's names — the one to be discarded and the one now 
to be assumed. The ritual is in rhythmic form, im- 
possible to reproduce in English. The following ren- 
dition contains nothing which is not in the original text 
as explained and amplified by the priest. 

The ritual was intoned in a loud voice ; the man who 



126 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

was to receive a new name stood before the priest where 
he could be seen by the entire assembly. 

Ritual 

Harken! 'Twas thus it came to pass: 

In ancient days, a Leader and his men 
Walked this wide earth, man's vast abode 
Roofed by the heavens, where dwell the gods. 
They reached a place the spot no man can tell, 
Faced dangers dread and vanquished them; 
Then, standing as if born anew to life, 
Each warrior threw away the name 
That had been his ere yet these deeds were done. 

Harken! The Leader and his men 

Made there the Vict'ry song, and set the mark 
Ye must o'ertake, if ye would be like them! 

Harken! The Leader and his men 

Turned then toward home. Their Vict'ry song 
Proclaimed them near; the village rose, 
Looked toward the hill, where on the top 
Stood the brave men, singing their song, 
Heralding thus the favor of the gods 
By which they had surpassed all former deeds — 
Made new their claim to be accounted men. 

Harken! And whence, think ye, was borne 
Unto these men courage to dare, 
Strength to endure hardship and war? 
Mark well my words, as I reveal 
How the gods help man's feebleness. 
The Leader of these warriors was a man 
Given to prayer. Oft he went forth 






INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 127 

Seeking a place no one could find. 

There would he stand and lift his voice, 

Fraught with desire that he might be 

Invincible, a bulwark 'gainst all foes 

Threat'ning his tribe, causing them fear. 

Night-time and day this cry sped on, 

Traveling far, seeking to reach — 
Harken! Those places far above, 
Harken ! Within the circle vast 

Where sit the gods watching o'er men. 

Harken! This poor man's prayer went on, 

Speeding afar into the blue 

Heavens above, reached there the place — 
Harken! Where dwell the lesser gods, 
Harken ! And great Ti-ra'-wa, mightier than all ! 

Harken! It was because a god 

Received this prayer, considered it, 

Favored its plea, and passed it on 

To him whose place was next, in that grand ring, 

Who in his turn received the prayer, . 

Considered it, and sent it on — 
Harken! Around that circle vast, 
Harken! Where sit the gods above. 

Harken! And thus it was the prayer 
Sent by this man won the consent 
Of all the gods. For each god in his place 
Speaks out his thought, grants or rejects 
Man's suppliant cry, asking for help; 
But none can act until the Council grand 
Comes to accord, thinks as one mind, 
Has but one will all must obey.; 



128 INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 

Harken! The Council gave consent; 

Harken! And great Ti-ra'-wa, mightier than all! 

Harken! To make their purpose known, 
Succor and aid freely to give, 
Heralds were called, called by the Winds. 
Then in the West uprose the Clouds 
Heavy and black, ladened with storm. 
Slowly they climbed, dark'ning the skies, 
While close on every side the Thunders marched 
On their dread way, till all were come 
To where the gods in stately council sat 
Waiting for them. Then bade them go 
Back to the earth, carrying aid 
To him whose prayer had reached their circle vast. 
This mandate given, the Thunders turned toward earth, 
Taking their course slantwise the sky. 

Harken ! Another followed hard — 

Lightning broke forth out of the cloud, 
Zigzag and dart, cleaving their way 
Slantwise to earth, their goal to reach. 

Harken ! For these two were not all 

That hastened to proclaim the god's behest — 
Swift on their wings Swallows in flocks 
Swept in advance, ranging the path, 
Black breasts and Red, Yellow and White, 
Flying about, clearing the way 
For those who bore the message of the gods 
Granting the man courage to dare, 
Strength to endure, power to stand 
Invincible, a bulwark 'gainst all foes. 






INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 129 

Harken! 'Twas thus it came to pass: 

The Leader grasped the help sent by the gods; 
Henceforth he walked steadfast and strong, 
Leading his men through dangers drear, 
Knowing that naught could strike at him 
To whom the gods had promised victory. 

Attend ! Once more I change his name. 

Harken! Ri-ruts' -ka-tit it was 

We used to call him by, a name he won 

Long days ago, marking an act 

Well done by him, but now passed by. 

Harken ! To-day all men shall say — 

Harken ! His act has lifted him 

Where all his tribe behold a man 

Clothed with new fame, strong in new strength 

Gained by his deeds, blessed of the gods. 

Harken! Sha-ku'-ru Wa'-ruk-ste shall he be called. 

Taking an Indian Name in Camp 

In view of the significance of Indian personal names, 
and the dignity and reverence which in every instance 
surrounded the giving or the taking of a name, it hardly 
seems appropriate that Indian names should be as- 
sumed even for a short period without some regard 
being shown to the customs and thought of the people 
from whom the names are borrowed. While there 
should be no travesty of rites such as those that have 
been here described, rites that have been held sacred 
upon this continent for untold generations, stMl it would 
not be unseemly to hold to the spirit of those rites when 



130 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



we borrow these names during the camp days in which 
we seek to live close to the nature that the Indian loved 
so reverently and well. 

When it is decided among the members of the camp 
to take an Indian name, on the day of the ceremony 
all the camp should assemble early in the morning. 
When all have gathered, they should move toward a 
place where the sun can be seen when it rises over the 
lake, the hilltops or the woods. There all should pause. 

The candidate for the name should not wear any 
head-band. The boy or girl should stand well to the 
front of the group, all of whom should face the East. 
The entire company should then join in the following 
song: 

Song No. I 

Skies proclaim a new day! We joyfully meet, 

We thankfully greet, 
His* new name this day shall repeat. 



Ijik 



S5 



i^p 



3*±3fc 



«tt 



Skies proclaim a new day! We joy-ful-ly 



meet, We 



;|f 



5^ 



*± 



T? 



day shall repeat. 



thank-ful - ly 



greet, 



His new name 
Her 



The Leader of the camp must then intone the fol- 
lowing : 

*The pronoun should be changed according to the sex of the candi- 
date. 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



131 



Hear ! O Trees that gird our camp ! 

Listen, ye Birds that fly through the branches! 

Harken, ye rippling waves on Stream and Lake! 

Hear me ! 
Into your midst has come a friend, 
He* bears a new Name! 
Ye shall know him as (name) 

The announcement of the name should be distinctly 
made so as to be clearly heard by the entire company. 
The head-band or other camp insignia should now be 
officially put on the candidate. 

All present should then join in singing the following 
song, clapping their hands as beats to the music as they 
skip back to breakfast and to the pleasures of the day : 

Song No. 2 

Homeward we go, calling his* name; 

New is the name now we proclaim; 

No other change in our friend, he* is the same! 



:i=£ 



I) 



B^t 



Hand-clapsf f FT f f f 

Home - ward we go, call - ing his name; 

Sing - ing we go, way ha way ho ! 



5 



^BE 



-fv- 



P*" 



New is 
Dane - ins 



r r 

the name 



r r r 

now we pro - claim : 
way 



ha 



hoi 



: Change the pronoun to the proper sex. 



132 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



"4 



^B^ 



I 



£? 



* i i- 



-l— J—4 . 



r r i 

No oth - er change in our friend, 
No one more mer- ry than we, 



r r r 

he is the same I 

way ha way ho! 



Singing we go, way ha way ho ! 
Dancing also, way ha way ho! 
No one more merry than we, way ha way ho ! 

The second stanza should be repeated and the steps 
kept in rhythm until the dancers finally disperse. 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



133 



INDIAN NAMES FOR BOYS 

All vowels have the Continental sound 

The names here presented, for Boys, for Girls and for Camps, have been 
chosen out of many because the words are easily pronounced ; none of them 
have any of the peculiar labial, nasal or guttural sounds common in the various 
Indian languages, which are difficult to represent by the letters of our alphabet 
and equally difficult for most Americans to pronounce. 



I. 


A-di'-ta 


Priest 


Omaha. 


2. 


An'-ge-da 


From every direction 


Omaha. 


3- 


De'-mon-thin 


Talks as he walks 


Ponca. 


4- 


E-di'-ton 


Standing as a sacred object 


Omaha. 


5- 


Ga-he'-ge 


Chief 


Omaha. 


6. 


Gu'-da-hi 


"There he goes!" A coyote 


Omaha. 


7- 


Ha'-nu-ga-hi 


Nettle weed 


Ponca. 


8. 


He'-ba-zhu 


Little horns 


Ponca. 


9- 


He'-ga 


Buzzard 


Omaha. 


10. 


He'-sha-be 


Dark antlers 


Omaha. 


11. 


He'-thon-ton 


Towering antlers (elk) 


Omaha. 


12. 


Ho-ho' 


Fish 


Omaha. 


13- 


Hon'-ga 


Imperial eagle 


Osage. 


14. 


Hu'-ton-ton 


Roar of thunder 


Omaha. 


15- 


I'-ku-ha-be 


He who causes fear 


Ponca. 


16. 


I-shta'-pe-de 


Fire eyes (lightning) 


Ponca. 


17- 


Ka-ge'-zhin-ga 


Little brother 


Omaha. 


18. 


Ka-wa'-ha 


Very old name, meaning lost Omaha. 


19. 


Ka'-wa-sab-be 


Black horse 


Osage. 


20. 


Ka'-wa-ska 


White horse 


Osage. 


21. 


Ka'-wa-zi 


Yellow horse 


Osage. 


22. 


Ke'-ton-ga 


Great turtle 


Ponca. 


23- 


Ke'-zhin-ga 


Little turtle 


Ponca. 


24. 


Ki'-ko-ton-ga 


Curlew 


Omaha. 


25- 


Ki'-mon-hon 


Facing the wind 


Omaha. 



134 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



26. 


Ki'-wa-go 


Male buffalo 


Pawnee. 


27. 


Ku'-ge 


Sound of the drum 


Omaha. 


28. 


Ku'-rux 


Bear 


Pawnee. 


29. 


Ku'-sox 


Left hand 


Pawnee. 


30. 


Le-sha'-ro 


Chief 


Pawnee. 


3i- 


Mi'-da-in-ga 


Playful sun 


Osage. 


32. 


Mi'-ka 


Raccoon 


Ponca. 


33- 


Mi'-ka-si 


Coyote 


Omaha. 


34- 


Min'-dse 


Bow 


Osage. 


35- 


Mon-chu' 


Bear 


Omaha. 


36. 


Mon-chu'-pa 


Bear's head 


Omaha. 


37- 


Mon-e'-ga-he 


Arrow chief 


Ponca. 


38. 


Mon-ge'-zi 


Yellow breast 


Omaha. 


39- 


Mon-ka'-ta 


He of the earth 


Ponca. 


40. 


Mon'-sa 


Arrow shaft 


Osage. 


41. 


Mon'-te-ga 


New arrows 


Osage. 


42. 


Ni-ni'-ba 


Pipe 


Omaha. 


43- 


Ni'-sho-sho 


Swallow 


Omaha. 


44. 


Non-ke'-ne 


Graceful walker (deer) 


Omaha. 


45- 


Non'-nun-ge 


Runner 


Osage. 


46. 


Non'-pe-wa-the 


He who is feared 


Omaha. 


47- 


Nu'-da-hun-ga 


Captain 


Omaha. 


48. 


O'-pa 


Elk 


Omaha. 


49. 


Pa-he'-ta-pe 


Seeking the hills 


Omaha. 


50- 


Pa'-na-hoo 


Owl 


Omaha. 


5i- 


Pa'-sun 


American eagle 


Omaha. 


52- 


Pa-thon' 


White-headed eagle 


Omaha. 


53- 


Pe'-de-ga-he 


Fire chief 


Omaha. 


54- 


Pe'-num-ba 


Seven 


Ponca. 


55- 


Sha-ku'-ru 


Sun 


Pawnee. 


56. 


Sha-thu' 


Sound of the water 


Ponca. 


57- 


Shon'-ge 


Wolf 


Omaha. 


58. 


Shon'-ge-sab-be 


Black wolf 


Omaha. 


59- 


Shon'-ge-ska 


White wolf 


Ponca. 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



135 



60. 


Shon'-ge-zi 


Yellow wolf 


Ponca. 


61. 


Shon'-ton-ga 


Grey wolf 


Ponca. 


62. 


Sho-sho'-ka 


Osprey 


Omaha. 


63. 


Shu'-ka-bi 


Bunch of clouds 


Ponca. 


64. 


Ski'-rik 


Grey wolf 


Pawnee. 


65. 


Ta-de'-ta 


To the wind 


Omaha. 


66. 


Ta-de'-u-mon- 


thin Walking in the wind 


Omaha. 


67. 


Te-thon' 


White buffalo 


Omaha. 


68. 


The'-ha 


Soles 


Omaha. 


69. 


U'-ba-ni 


Digging in the earth (little 








creatures) 


Omaha. 


70. 


U-ga'-e 


Spread out (herd of buffalo) 


Omaha. 


71. 


Wa-he'-he 


Easy to break, fragile 


Omaha. 


72. 


Wa-ke'-de 


One who shoots 


Omaha. 


73- 


Wa-po'-ga 


Grey owl 


Omaha. 


74- 


Wa-shis'-ka 


Shell 


Omaha. 


75- 


Wash-kon'-hi 


Power of the thunder 


Omaha. 


76. 


Wa-sho'-she 


Brave 


Omaha. 


77- 


Wa-thu'-he 


Startles the game 


Omaha. 


78. 


Wa-zhin'-ska 


Wisdom 


Omaha. 


79- 


We'-kush-ton 


One who gives feast fre- 








quently 


Omaha. 


80. 


Wi'-a-go 


Feather 


Dakota. 


81. 


Zha'-be 


Beaver 


Omaha. 



INDIAN NAMES FOR GIRLS 



I. 


A'-bey 


Leaf 


Omaha. 


2. 


A'-bey-tu 


Green leaf 


Omaha. 


3- 


A'-bet-zi 


Yellow leaf 


Omaha. 


4- 


A'-ka-wi 


South wind 


Omaha. 


5- 


A-sin'-ka 


Youngest daughter 


Osage. 


6. 


Chon'-ku-sha 


Robin 


Dakota 


7- 


Chon'-wa-pe 


Leaf. 


Dakota 



136 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



8. 


Chon'-wa-pe-ska 


Red leaf 


Dakota. 


9- 


Chon'-wa-pe-tu 


Green leaf 


Dakota. 


10. 


Cho-xon'-zhe-da 


Willow 


Dakota. 


ii. 


Da'-a-bi 


The visible sun 


Omaha. 


12. 


Don'-a-ma 


The sun visible to all 


Omaha. 


13- 


Ha'-ba-zhu-dse 


Red corn 


Osage. 


14. 


Ha'-ba-zi 


Yellow corn 


Osage. 


15. 


Ha'-ba-tu 


Blue corn 


Osage. 


16. 


Ha'-ba-ska 


White corn 


Osage. 


17. 


Hon'-ba-he 


Dawn 


Dakota. 


18. 


I-shta'-sa-pa 


Dark eyes 


Dakota. 


19. 


I'-ni-a-bi 


Home builder 


Omaha. 


20. 


Ka-shi'-a-ka 


Meadow lark 


Omaha. 


21. 


Mi'-a-kon-da 


Sacred moon 


Omaha. 


22. 


Mi'-gi-na 


Returning moon 


Omaha. 


23- 


Mi'-mi-te 


Standing new moon 


Omaha. 


24. 


Mi'-na 


Oldest daughter 


Osage. 


25- 


Mi'-pe 


Good moon 


Omaha. 


26. 


Mi'-ta-in 


Crescent moon 


Ponca. 


27. 


Mi'-the-be 


Shadowy moon 


Ponca. 


28. 


Mi'-ton-e 


New moon 


Omaha. 


29. 


Mi'-wa-thon 


White moon 


Omaha. 


30. 


Ni'-da-wi 


Fairy girl 


Omaha. 


31. 


Pa'-zi 


Yellow head (bird) 


Ponca. 


32. 


Pa'-ha-zi 


Yellow hair (young animal) 


Ponca. 


33- 


Raw-ska' 


Anemone 


Omaha. 


34- 


Raw-tu' 


Violet 


Omaha. 


35- 


Raw-zi' 


Sunflower 


Omaha. 


36. 


Ta'-de-win 


Wind maiden 


Omaha. 


37- 


Ta'-in 


New moon 


Ponca. 


38. 


Ta'-in-ge 


Coming moon 


Ponca. 


39- 


Wa-ha'-ba 


Corn 


Omaha. 


40. 


Wa-ha'-ba-ska 


White corn 


Omaha. 


41. 


Wa-ha'-ba-tu 


Blue corn 


Omaha. 



RC 



10.5 



INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES 



137 



42. 


Wa-ha'-ba-zi 


Yellow corn 


Omaha. 


43. 


Wak'-cha 


Flower 


Dakota. 


44. 


Wak'-cha-zi 


Sunflower 


Dakota. 


45- 


Wa-shu'-dse 


Wild-rose 


Omaha. 


46. 


Wa-te'-win 


Victory woman 


Omaha. 


47- 


Wa-zhin'-ga 


Bird 


Omaha. 


48. 


Wa-zhin'-ga-tu 


Blue bird 


Omaha. 


49- 


We'-thon-ki-tha 


To come together (as in a 








society) 


Omaha. 


50. 


We'-ton-a 


Old name, meaning lost 


Omaha. 


5i. 


We'-ton-be-the 


One who gives hope 


Omaha. 


52. 


Wi'-he 


Younger sister 


Omaha. 


53- 


Wi'-te-ga 


New moon 


Dakota. 


54- 


Zit-ka'-la 1 


Bird 


Dakota. 


55- 


Zit-ka'-la-sha 


Red bird 


Dakota. 


56. 


Zit-ka'-la-tu 


Blue bird 


Dakota. 


57- 


Zit-ka'-la-zi 


Yellow bird 


Dakota. 



INDIAN NAMES FOR CAMPS 



E'-zhon U-ti 
Hin'-de-hi U-ti 
Ney'-a-ti 
Tosh'-ka-hi U-ti 
Wa-shis'-ka A-ti 



A Camp among the Elms. 
A Camp among the Lindens. 
A Camp by the Lake. 
A Camp among the Oaks. 
A Camp by the Brook. 













X 




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